Amiga.org
Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / Science and Technology => Topic started by: nadoom on May 16, 2006, 01:52:55 PM
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the uk is overrun by immigrants! the grey squirrels are taking over and consigning our native red to the scrap heap. What must we do to stop it?
I suggest a mass kull of greys.. what say you?
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Who cares?
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Same-ish problem here in Norway. The arctic fox is nearly extinct whereas the common red fox is thriving like never before. There are only an estimated 110 individuals left in the whole of the Fenno-Scandinavia :-(.
It's a difficult matter tbh. Should you really be shooting red foxes to favour the arctic ones? One could argue that the dominance of the red fox is just nature taking it's course but on the other hand nature's been so beat up and influenced by mankind that you might as well argue that it's our doing.
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I care :-D.
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nicholas, the mere fact that you have posted on this thread shows that you care :)
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Poor little reds... Last one I saw (outside of a wildlife park) was in Norfolk and very dead.
However, logical as it may seem I still can't abide the idea of a cull. There has to be a way of helping our little red pals without culling so many greys.
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[color=ff00ff]>>[/color][color=808080]There has to be a way of helping[/color]
Hum,
Genetic enhancements...
IMAGE (http://allhumor.net/images/macho.jpg) from allhumor.net/ScotSquirrel.jpeg
Actually i think this is old news and the red squirrel isn't in decline anymore. I seem to recall that they have found a niche in Scotland where the greys can’t compete as well.
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Poor little reds... Last one I saw (outside of a wildlife park) was in Norfolk and very dead.
are you sure it wasnt a grey squirrel covered in a smattering of its own blood?
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PMC wrote:
Poor little reds... Last one I saw (outside of a wildlife park) was in Norfolk and very dead.
However, logical as it may seem I still can't abide the idea of a cull. There has to be a way of helping our little red pals without culling so many greys.
As its name suggests, the North American Eastern Gray Squirrel's (Sciurus carolinensis) fur is predominantly gray, but many American cities are known for their native populations of red, albino (white), or melanistic (black) varriations of the Eastern Gray Squirrel.
Just import some RED fur, North American Gray Squirrel's! ;-)
OR, solution #2,
Squirrel Season! So How Do You Cook Squirrel? (http://bayoubill.com/archives/2001/81501squirrel.html)
More squirrel recipes here (http://www.jerrysbaitandtackle.com/Recipes/Squirrel.htm)
Solution #2 would be the Enviromentially correct solution!
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a squirrel is a cute rat... aint no way i am eating a rat!
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I don't know, I wouldn't diss it before you've tried it.
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Actually, metalman might be on to something here!
Take one of our little grey friends, gently killed and garnish with sage and oregano and tomato puree. Wrap in foil and bake on a low heat for two hours.
Et viola! Serve with baby potatoes, peas and runner beans... Mmm, sounds delicious!
Oh, and a chilled glass of white wine would b agreat accompaniment to the dish.
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nadoom wrote:
a squirrel is a cute rat... aint no way i am eating a rat!
Read this article and you will be asking for the rat instead of these choices!
Eating out in Vietnam (http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1487714)
Excerpt:
Many Vietnamese still have to eat whatever they can lay their hands on. Pet birds and dogs are kept indoors to save them from the cooking pot. In 1998, the government tried to reduce the consumption of snakes and cats by banning their sale, since the exploding rat population was damaging crops. Instead, peasants simply took to eating rats as well. The dwindling number of rats, in turn, has caused an explosion in the numbers of another tasty treat: snails.
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PMC wrote:
Actually, metalman might be on to something here!
Take one of our little grey friends, gently killed and garnish with sage and oregano and tomato puree. Wrap in foil and bake on a low heat for two hours.
Et viola! Serve with baby potatoes, peas and runner beans... Mmm, sounds delicious!
Oh, and a chilled glass of white wine would b agreat accompaniment to the dish.
bon appetite!
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i still think that a cold bullet to the head and fed to a dog would be a better option, any one here tried squirrel? apparently there is very little meat on the bones
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I quite liked the odea of the weighted feeding tables I saw on "Tomorrow's World" (where else?) a few years back. Being smaller, Mr Red Squirrel doesn't trip the spring and can get to the food left out for him. However, the lardier Mr Grey causes a weight to move and cover the food over, so no free lunch for him.
Literally tipping the scales in favour of our little red pals.
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.. is there pit of spikes underneath?
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apparently there is very little meat on the bones
tried dove? there is so little meat there you are lucky to get enough to stew with rice or dumplings. oh man and i just ate and here i am thinking food. but there is more meat on the little critters than you give em credit for.
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ive tried pigeon in egypt.. hmm very little meat on that.
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As a person who has raised and lived with both a red squirrel and a grey squirrel, I am emminently qualified to stake out a position here. Not to mention being one of the last crackers in my neighborhood.
My avatar image is of my little red (RIP).
There's a T-shirt that comes to mind regarding this situation.
http://www.tshirthell.com/shirts/products/a355/thumb_ltd_a355.gif (http://www.tshirthell.com/shirts/products/a355/thumb_ltd_a355.gif)(http://www.tshirthell.com/shirts/products/a355/thumb_ltd_a355.gif)
British red squirrels: little pussies should have fought harder.
Now I have to say that I'm kidding here. I'm of mixed Euro and Native American Indian lineage so...
North American Red squirrels kick the crap out of North American Grey squirrels despite being nearly half the size of the greys. This shows the Brit Reds are indeed pussies.
OK, I'm kidding again.
I love them all, and only non-lethal means should be used to preserve the UK Reds.
Each life of the squirrel, native or not, means as much to it (him or her), regardless of it's color. It seems unfair to kill an individual grey just because the group he's a member of is outbreeding the other group. The arguement for lethal means could be just as readily applied to the white people of the US who are rapidly being outbred by browns and blacks. And there's a phrase that describes that: Nazism. It's not fair for humans, nor for squirrels.
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Am I right in thinking that the grey squirrels in UK originally came from the US?
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yep they came to the uk about 150 years ago.
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Are you sure it was really that long ago? I was under the impression it happened n the 20th century. Stupid humans.
This is Woodsy, AKA the real life Ami/Amy the Squirrel.
The mug is very large so it makes her look even smaller than reds are.
http://img286.echo.cx/img286/3351/woodsymugchocobeige03580x75878.jpg (http://img286.echo.cx/img286/3351/woodsymugchocobeige03580x75878.jpg)
And this is Sparky, the grey i'm caring for now. This pic is about a year old.
http://img267.echo.cx/img267/3305/sparkydsc07591960percmp1xz.jpg (http://img267.echo.cx/img267/3305/sparkydsc07591960percmp1xz.jpg)
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Are they tame?
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I was lucky enough to grow up on the Isle of Wight, where we only have Red Squirrels... with their funny tufty ears... they are no where near as tame as Greys though.
The Island is ideal for Reds as they need to eat conifer seeds and the Island has several large conifer forests.
In fact I had never seen a Grey Squirrel until I came to London...
In Canada I saw black (or goth as I call them) Squirrels :-)
@Nadeem
Do I detect your presence in the hallowed ranks of the AROS Dev list? ;-)
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@ bloodline
yes its true.. i will help in anyway i can, but that really doesnt mean much at this point lol
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nadoom wrote:
@ bloodline
yes its true.. i will help in anyway i can, but that really doesnt mean much at this point lol
At this stage of the game, just having more people to throw ideas into the ring is a very welcome thing.
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anybody know how to make them jokers go away. they are in my mom in law's attic and even when sealing the holes they still get up there.
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PMC wrote:
I quite liked the odea of the weighted feeding tables I saw on "Tomorrow's World" (where else?) a few years back. Being smaller, Mr Red Squirrel doesn't trip the spring and can get to the food left out for him. However, the lardier Mr Grey causes a weight to move and cover the food over, so no free lunch for him.
Literally tipping the scales in favour of our little red pals.
IF you can come up with a device that would feed ONLY birds and NOT grey squirrel's you would make a fortune from bird lovers alone!
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nadoom wrote:
yep they came to the uk about 150 years ago.
And these pests were imported from England in 1850 (http://www.50birds.com/BPEnglishSparrow.htm)
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serves you right
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:-? Sparrows are a protected species over here.
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Turambar wrote:
:-? Sparrows are a protected species over here.
certain sparrows, that is, AFAIK.
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jkirk wrote:
anybody know how to make them jokers go away. they are in my mom in law's attic and even when sealing the holes they still get up there.
Can't think of much, except for an agile and hungry tomcat of course. Despite their cute appearence, squirrels can be absolutely vicious when they want to be, especially if a mother squirrel is nesting young anywhere nearby.
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Turambar wrote:
:-? Sparrows are a protected species over here.
Considered pests here, shot hundreds as a kid with my air-rifle, now just train cats to climb the rafters and let them do the work.
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shot hundreds as a kid with my air-rifle
Why am I not in the least bit surprised at that proclamation.
It explains a lot though.
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Indeed. The Amiga community has only dregs it seems at this point. Have i mentioned how much i enjoy hunting "accidents"?
Woodsy the red was tame except for seasonal snittiness. She was a true delight. Reds have a very bad rap here IMHO.
Sparky the Grey is far less civilized, but he's had various toxics exposures so he might be brain-damaged. I suspect most greys are more civil. ;-)
As for ridding the attic of squirrels there's one sure-fire method that works and is prettty much free. Time-tested and it really works. But it's best to wait till spring or summer or *early* fall for it to be most efficacious.
0) Identify openings where the critters enter/leave through. Locate nest area if possible.
1) Leave the lights on.
2) Bring up a radio or boombox and play the most harsh music you can find. Rap crap probably works as well as metal crap.
3) Leave an open jar (put a screen cover or mesh over the open top) filled with bleach and water.
Within a week the squirrels will relocate. You verify by checking the nest. When all babies have been moved by the mother, you can seal up the holes.
If you seal up the holes before all the squirrels are relocated you will be very sorry indeed. A trapped squirrel will chew for all they're worth, causing you a LOT of damage. So be patient.
After you're pretty sure they're long gone put out a few food offerings. THEN only when food offerings no longer vanish is it safe to assume they're evacuated. Then you seal those holes up good. Real good. And then look for more. Tell-tale clues to whole locations can be found by looking for signs around the house.
n4 <---Sparky just ran across keyboard)(http://img13.imgspot.com/u/04/350/20/WoodsyBillMumyCDs003InWorks2test528x70450PerCmp.jpg)
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Solution to Grey Squirrel problem??
eating everything from gray squirrels to .... (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=2072458&page=1)
or Maybe NOT! :lol:
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PMC wrote:
Actually, metalman might be on to something here!
Take one of our little grey friends, gently killed and garnish with sage and oregano and tomato puree. Wrap in foil and bake on a low heat for two hours.
Et viola! Serve with baby potatoes, peas and runner beans... Mmm, sounds delicious!
Oh, and a chilled glass of white wine would b agreat accompaniment to the dish.
Lakeland restaurant serves up Peking duck-style squirrel pancakes (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=487915&in_page_id=1770)
The restaurant at Crook, near Windermere, in Cumbria, is giving diners the chance to try the canapes free of charge.
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nicholas wrote:
shot hundreds as a kid with my air-rifle
Why am I not in the least bit surprised at that proclamation.
It explains a lot though.
they say serial killers tortured and killed animals when they were children.
:idea:
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millions of kids kill small animals all the time. very few become serial killers. its like saying serial killers ate cerial when they were children.
ok maybe thats an exageration but im assuming you werent serious either.
i never killed any animals as a child except fish and they viciously bit the pet worms i was taking for a walk and ummm a swim.
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cecilia wrote:
they say serial killers tortured and killed animals when they were children.
:idea:
Serial killer traits:
Raised by a domineering, narcissistic mother, fascinated with fire starting, daydream compulsively about sadistic fantasies, sadistically killed dogs and cats.
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when he was a child, he had enjoyed his mother reading him the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel," about a witch who traps two children (http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,511775,00.html)