A ‘psycho’ squirrel injured at least 18 people during a 48-hour rampage around a small town in Wales.
Pensioners, children and pets were all left with nasty bites when the animal started ‘throwing itself’ at people and chasing them down the street.
Several required tetanus jabs after they were attacked by the ‘rogue’ squirrel which locals nicknamed ‘stripe’, after the evil character from The Gremlins film.
It was eventually captured and handed over to the RSPCA who later had to put it down.
The attacks in Buckley in Flintshire, North Wales, began before Christmas but most reported being targeted over the festive weekend.
Gran-of-nine Corrine Reynolds, 65, had been feeding the squirrel in her garden over the summer but said she had to trap her rodent friend after seeing multiple reports of people being injured on social media.
Speaking before the squirrel’s reign of terror was brought to an end, mum-of-seven Corinne, who works as a home carer, said: ‘I noticed yesterday that in the space of 48 hours, he has attacked 18 people.
‘He has started attacking people who are just taking their recycling bags to the bin and they are quite gruesome injuries.
‘He’s not a friendly natured squirrel I am afraid, he is a rogue one and I am starting to wonder if he has got something going on inside his head like a tumour.
‘The speed of it is frightening, he dashes from the roof of my garden shed to me – but when he does it everyone else, he bites them.
‘It has even bit an elderly person in the area. On one occasion it chased a lad down the road and then dad was left with a bloody cut on his head.
‘He is now attacking people for no reason whatsoever. The front tooth breaks the skin in a quite lethal way. I still have a scar on my finger.’
Corrine later confirmed the residents of Buckley were ‘breathing a sigh of relief’ when she captured the squirrel and handed it over to the RSPCA.
She added: ‘As funny as this story may seem, it is a welcome relief. I feel it is now safe to go in my garden.
‘It has not been nice for me, and others, to scan their garden before they can even go out.
‘If I want to clean my rabbit out, I had to let all four of my dogs out first. It has been quite a scary time for the area.’
Another unlucky victim was Sheree Robinson, 42, who was bitten on her finger by the squirrel on Thursday morning.
She said: ‘This squirrel is not very nice at all, it’s a nutty squirrel. He’s a bit of a psycho, he’s had five or six of my neighbours.
‘He had me when collecting my recycling bags. He jumped out from behind my green bin, so whether he was trying to get food and thought I was going to take it away.
‘Let’s just say it had me good and proper. I’ve got teeth marks on the top and bottom of my finger. It proper latched on and I had to shake it off. He’s taken the top layer off my knuckle. His teeth are like pins.’
Granite technician, Scott Felton, 34, was unaware of the creature causing chaos in his town until he was bitten on Boxing Day.
He said: ‘I was outside having a cigarette at my back door at the time. I crouched down and this squirrel came out of nowhere and jumped onto my garden table.
‘After that, it just jumped onto my arm and bit me on my hand before I even had chance to get it off – it all happened so quick.
‘My partner said I should go to the hospital to get it check out and, after some persuasion, I went.
‘After arriving at the hospital, I had to have a tetanus jab because the squirrel broke my skin.
‘I know of someone else too who had to have a tetanus jab because theirs didn’t stop bleeding.’
A care home worker and her daughter were also left with bloody wounds after being attacked by the squirrel as they exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve
Jane Harry, 55, first noticed what she thought was a ‘playful’ squirrel when visiting her daughter’s home in Buckley, last Friday evening.
But as she was leaving the squirrel jumped up, biting her daughter Chloe, 29, in the neck and hands.
A panicked Jane, tried to get the squirrel off Chloe, before it launched a second attack biting her three times in the arm.
The RSPCA confirmed on Tuesday afternoon they had reluctantly put down the squirrel because it was illegal to release it back into the wild.
A spokesperson for the charity said: ‘We were incredibly sad to have to put this squirrel to sleep but were left with no choice due to changes in legislation in 2019 making it illegal to release grey squirrels back into the wild.
‘We do not agree with this law and opposed it, but legally we have to comply.
‘There are numerous ways to humanely deter grey squirrels and we would urge people not to trap them as it is now illegal to release them into the wild and the only option is to put them to sleep.’
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