Jump to content

Recommended Posts

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/170446


This may not interest too many people in E.D. directly but the way the law is currently established, there is a glaring anomaly which results in squirrels getting injured rather than despatched instantly.


Please consider supporting this appeal.

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/129573-squirrel-traps/
Share on other sites

Despite what "experts" like Heseltine and Prince Charles say, there's no evidence from real experts that grey squirrels have a deleterious effect on bird populations: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8448000/8448807.stm and the beloved reds (don't get me wrong, I adore them too) are just as significant predators on eggs and fledglings (though both only really go for eggs when there's a scarcity of other foods). In truth, the best thing one could do for wildlife of all sorts would be to allow large areas (such as Mr.Heseltine's garden)to return to their natural state: what he's really complaining about is that squirrels are (he believes) undermining his efforts to create his version of what he thinks nature should be, but nobody seems to suggest shooting him...

DulwichFox Wrote:

>

> The Law is complicated..

>

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/833

> 1195/What-is-the-law-on-killing-squirrels.html

>

> DulwichFox


No, it's not too omplicated. It is quite straight forward if you research it.


The law states that you must use an "approved trap". An "approved trap" is one tested and approved by DEFRA. Each make and model of trap must be submitted by the manufacturer for approval. These are tested by DEFRA. DEFRA will only approve those those which are guaranteed to despatch the nominated species quickly. Approved traps are identified under The Spring Traps Approval (England) Order 2012. A fee of ?5,000 is charged by DEFRA for testing a particular make/model of trap.


It is illegal to use any trap not approved under that order. So, what happens is that unscupulous traders import inferior traps and do not submit them for testing.


These are the traps that maim the squirrels. They can suffer a long and lingering death. Or they can be maimed for life if they escape from the trap. This is because of inferior design and materials.


The anomaly is that it is not currently illegal to sell traps that have not been approved.


This petition is designed to ban the sale of thes inferior traps.

I have seen Lord Heseltine's garden twice recently on t'telly, and frankly if most of it was eaten by squirrels I don't think it would be any great loss.


They could start with the hideous fountain, carry on to the "kiosks", then gnaw through the aviary to let the birds free.


Maybe leave the arboretum and some of the borders.....


ETA: Oh and if they were in particularly good gnawing mode, they could gnaw away at the two massive marble elephants which Lady Hezza brought back from a furniture tour of India, then found they were too big for the house.


Too big for the effing massive house which appears to take up half of Northamptonshire.


And the garden takes up the other half.


Grrrrrr.

  • 2 weeks later...

rendelharris Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Despite what "experts" like Heseltine and Prince

> Charles say, there's no evidence from real experts

> that grey squirrels have a deleterious effect on

> bird populations:

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8

> 448000/8448807.stm and the beloved reds (don't get

> me wrong, I adore them too) are just as

> significant predators on eggs and fledglings

> (though both only really go for eggs when there's

> a scarcity of other foods). In truth, the best

> thing one could do for wildlife of all sorts would

> be to allow large areas (such as Mr.Heseltine's

> garden)to return to their natural state


I think you are getting away from the central issue and that is that the Grey Squirrel is deemded to be vermin by law in the UK. It is an invasive species (from the USA) which has displaced the native Red Squirrels. It is larger and more aggressive than the Red and hence has displaced it throughout most of the UK.


Furthermore it carries the squirrel pox virus to which it is immune but is fatal to Reds.


Closer to home, it is a host for ticks infected with Lymes's disease. This has a serious effect on humans if infected.


Consider these articles...


http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/grey-squirrels-can-spread-lyme-9090382


http://www.northernredsquirrels.org.uk/squirrels/squirrel-pox-virus/



So your "adorable" friends are not quite as adorable as you might believe.


Next time you find a tick, you can guess where it came from.


Meanwhile, here is the petition.


https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/170446

PollyGlot, you and Suffer-not should meet up, I reckon you'd find a lot in common, especially as you joined the forum within three days of each other and your first two posts have been to support things Suffer-not has said (including on this thread which has been quiet for nearly a fortnight and would have been buried way down the list, incredible that you even found it) it's the most amazing coincidence. You must be soulmates, I cannot think of any other possible explanation for this remarkable almost telepathic bond you seem to share. No explanation at all.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • You're being a little disingenuous here. It is simply not true that "the area should remain suburban 2/3 storeys maximum" because: -> the area the development is in isn't 2/3 storeys maximum today - as evidenced by the school on the lot adjoining the development to the south, as well as the similarly-sized buildings to the north and east.  -> the SPG doesn't preclude this type of development anyway. This "genie in a bottle" stuff is desperate barrel-scraping. Now you're raising the spectre of a 9 storey building on the Gibbs & Dandy site (the chance would be a fine thing) but also arguing Southwark is too slow to approve things and opposed to development more than 2-3 storeys!
    • The sites in question though are not comparable to the builders yard by the station and less likely to be granted planning permission for 9 storey buildings. The builders yard fronts on to the railway line on one side and virtually no residential property surrounding on the other sides. The Gibbs & Dandy /Kwikfit and ED trading trading estate are surrounded at close proximity by residential, and in the case of the latter a Grade II building, so there would more stringent height restrictions. Both these sites are tired and sad looking, and in need of development to provide much needed housing.
    • Not sure if this is any help but was initally told to use google chrome as the browser and the code was the reference. However the person at Southwark parking took pity on me and did it for me 
    • I can see how it could've worked 20 or 30 years ago, when you couldn't swing a pool cue in the Foresters without hitting a sparks, a plumber or a chippy, but the area has changed somewhat. I'm not sure people around here have such trade-able skills these days. Have a word with someone in your local and you'll see. People are always going to need their boiler fixed, a damp patch sorted or their dimmer switch dimmed, but I can pretty much guarantee I'm never going need my corporate policy complied with, my social media planned, my data mined, my green transport tsared, my information architected or my analytics analysed. It reminds me of the great DIY con of the mid to late seventies. My Mum bought into it, my Dad didn't. Anyway, my Mum won out and we let the gardener go (he went on to be TV's Timmy Mallett, so that's a warning from history), but my Dad shorted the house out and singed his head when he cut through the flex on his new Black & Decker hedge trimmer. We all laughed, of course, but he got his own back when, because we didn't use a qualified electrician to do things properly, she electrocuted herself when she pulled the back of the plug off her Carmen heated rollers while it was still in the socket. Keep things professional, say 'No!' to this sort of nonsense. We pay people a decent rate of pay because they're specialists at these things. I did once barter my sister's space hopper and roller skates for twenty-odd square foot of crazy paving, though. That was a birthday present my Mum never forgot, and not in a good way.  
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...