Wildlife, living next to nature

[Carruthers]

Dunstable bald squirrel 'safe and alive' after capture

A hairless squirrel which had evaded attempts to catch it after fears it would not survive the cold weather has been caught, a rescue centre has said.

The unusual creature had been spotted in a park in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.

Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue, which had been searching for it in Grove Gardens, said "the animal is now safe" in a post on its Facebook page.

A centre volunteer confirmed the animal was alive, but would not reveal its whereabouts.

It had teamed up with the RSPCA after receiving several calls from the public and concerns the squirrel could freeze to death.

Temperatures at nearby Luton Airport fell to 0C on Saturday.

A centre spokesman confirmed to the BBC the squirrel was "safe and alive" but could not reveal any further information about what would happen to it now.

'Genetic defect'

The RSPCA said under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it was generally illegal to release grey squirrels back to the wild once treated by a vet.

Dr Helen McRobie, a lecturer in biomedical science at the Anglia Ruskin University, said she had never heard of a bald squirrel before but it would "need to be kept in the warm once the temperature drops".

"This is very rare. I have been studying squirrels for years, but I have never come across one without any hair," she said.

"If the skin was patchy I would say that it was more likely to have been caused by a disease like mange, but the squirrel is completely bald, suggesting it is probably a genetic defect."

FWIW There's a short video of the creature at this link: BBC

One of the less endearing habits of squirrels, is their persistent looting of the bird feeders in the back garden.

Dad seems to spend a good chunk of his time shouting to scare them off.

It doesn't work, but the occupants of the nearby churchyard have been known to complain about the noise.

[Lamplighter]

Send someone over to Limey's for a couple of knitted sweaters.

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

Meh, the squirrel probably just got exposed to some radioactive waste from a containment breach during transport through the area.

Nothing to be concerned about unless the neighborhood children start losing hair.

[Gravdigr]

I think Bruce mighta been right about those blood-thirsty wabbits:

[xoxoxoBruce]

They picked it up from NYC rats.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Wow, Momdigr's lucky. Pete's kind love human blood you know, go for the throat.

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

I think Bruce mighta been right about those blood-thirsty wabbits...

He was! He was right about those bloodthirsty wabbits:

Psychologist Called After ‘Bloodthirsty’ Bunny Attacks Animal Shelter Staff

[xoxoxoBruce]

A psychologist? It's a fucking rabbit, a dangerous rabbit, kill it with fire. How many animals could they shelter with what they're spending on one damn rabbit?