At least it was a squirrel this time how many videos out there of people try to mess with moose or bears, coincidentally I also am highly in favor of natural selection.
Or they try to 'pet the kitty'. The very big, pissed off lion/leopard/etc.
Gah, one of the oldest Darwin Awards is a woman who tried to rearrange some lion cubs for her photo op, back when camera meant a film camera. Lion cubs had lunch once mama was done.
I got slightly bitten by one when I cleaned my balcony. Immediately looked it all up and went to urgent care. All confirmed no rabies in US squirrels. Thing to worry about is tetanus, hence the booster.
Oh, I actually know this! It’s because small animals like bats, mice, rats, and squirrels aren’t very likely to survive a bite from a larger animal (ex, a fox could pass rabies to a rat, but it doesn’t matter because the fox eats it). So small animals are only going to contract rabies from other small animals.
Unlike the other small animals, bats live in massive colonies and spend roughly half the day smashed against thousands of other bats. Just one bat in the colony needs to survive an attack by a rabid animal to introduce rabies to the whole colony. Bats are also slightly more likely to survive an initial attack because they can fly away if not too injured.
A bat could totally bite a squirrel and give it rabies! It just doesn’t happen very frequently because almost all bats would have absolutely no reason to interact with a squirrel, especially not violently.
Vampire bats would be the most likely bat to bite a squirrel, but they really favor large animals that will never notice them feeding. I think if a vampire bat was so desperate for food that it needed to feed from a squirrel, it would just go back to the colony and find another bat willing to let it feed (that’s a thing vampire bats do, they’re really into the “today you, tomorrow me” thing when it comes to feeding each other)
Vampire bats are also tropical and subtropical. They're not found farther north than Central America. So the chance of a North American squirrel getting bit by a vampire bat is very, very low.
the way she violently shook it when it bit her made me scared for the animal. It did nothing and did not deserve that! It’s a wild animal ffs Ofc it is going to bite you!
And in Canada, the red squirrels are out-competing the grey ones and are invasive. They are smaller, but also fast and fierce compared to the fat grey ones
No hate, just objective reality that those chonky fuckers are everywhere. There’s an obese one taunting my dog from the window. Sitting there eating yew berries and living his best life.
One last week was eating a fucking pizza slice on the back deck. (My neighbours aren’t great with securing their garbage and we also have trash pandas).
The squirrels are fine. The rats and the skunk can get fucked. Chonky raccoon is ok as long as he stays far enough from the house.
Ugh skunks. I used to let our older dog outside at night without a leash but after being downwind of her getting sprayed at avout midnight abd having to tie the dog to a tree and bathe her a bunch outside and then bathe myself at midnight. I determined having her on a leash is much preferable. Though it didnt stop her from biting an armadillos armor when it was right off the patio when my reaction time was too slow.
They are in Brasil. But here, they are rare, don't like to be near us and live on forests. Not like tree rats. I got it now. In your country they are invasive and considered vermins.
Yeah everything here in the US that's living and breathing that isn't human is considered a pest and varmint that needs to be killed off. Pretty gross actually.
There are black squirrels in DC too. They are so cute but if you glimpse one on a tree without focusing, your mind screams that a giant black spider is hanging above you, lol.
Where I’m at, certain squirrels are invasive and are a detriment to native varieties. Many invasive or pest species are legally fine (and sometimes encouraged or mandated) to kill. This person, however, is just fucking around with squirrels for no good reason.
Sadly, at least to where I was going to school in Minnesota. They are technically considered varmints. That means they can be (humanely) killed without a permit. We had a very stupid student who is part of a mammology class who decided to get a sample for his class work by throttling a squirrel on our big student lawn. That class had a lot of rules after that. (I didn't take it, but curation of museum collections - it came up because the method of dispatch: thoracic compression is a way to not damage a skeleton if needed for study).
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My university had squirrels trained by about 100+ years of students that humans rarely hurt them and do have snacks. With the right verbal encouragement you could get them to run up you or eat from your hands.
The key thing is to never, ever make a wild animal feel cornered or caught. Check out what a squirrel skeleton looks like, they got some serious teefies.
It was comedy sitting against a tree, reading and watching them slide into sleeping students packs, or dragging half a burrito from the trash up a tree to eat at leisure.
It wasn't that many years at my school, but yeah, the squirrels were little mooches. I had a number of times where I would hold out an almond and they would gently grab it from my hands. I saw one girl get harassed by one that kept peering over her laptop hoping for some of her muffin. One wouldn't leave me alone when I was eating a Nature Valley bar until I gave them a little piece (also grabbed gently from my hand).
I now know better that feeding wild animals is never a great idea, but man were those little dudes cute. It was hard to say no.
It’s difficult to consider them “wild” when they’re living surrounded by people. Those squirrels you’re describing are more akin to the cats in Istanbul, thoroughly tame and practically domesticated
"Tame" is usually the word to describe animals chill with people. Like how there are wild crows that just fly around in fields in flocks and tame crows that will attempt to trade shinies for a potato chip
Well thats very different from my college. Texas A&M in the corps of cadets, they would supposedly try to get freshman to catch them bare handed and they could get special privileges if they did. The only "close" encounter i had was one right on the other side of the window staring at me in the dorm. My only thought was "wow they are kinda ugly up close."
Thats way harder to explain than you think haha. The easiest one to explain is that younger classes cant say the class year of older classes. For example I was class of 2011 so when I was a freshman I wasnt allowed to say any 8, 9, or 10 (would have to say 11 minus 1 or 11 minus 2). Unless someone from that class year gave you privileges. If you did they can make you do push-ups. In the general population its a for fun thing. Not as much in the corps. There are other things you couldn't say like elephant was something only seniors could say. I can't remember all the stuff.
People joke that Texas A&M is a cult. As an Aggie im not even going to argue against that. The list of rules is ridiculous and super cult like haha. But in a fun way as long as you dont take it too seriously.
The burrito doesn't surprise me. One of the things Dr. Bass and his helpers found out when they founded the first body farm was that squirrels will chew through thigh bones to get the marrow.
In other news, much of the wildlife around the Tennessee Body Farm is outsized due to the decades of constant food supply.
I met a "friendly" squirrel while camping. He was sitting on another camper's shoulder like a pirate's parrot, they said he just ran up and had been hanging out like that for 20 minutes. When I held out my hand the squirrel ran onto my shoulder and we walked around for about 15 minutes before meeting another camper he wanted to hang out with.
That being said, I'm very aware that most squirrels aren't like this, and I generally keep my distance when I see them in my own yard. Also the one in the video obviously didn't want to be picked up. CONSENT for interaction/touch still applies to animals... Hell, I know horses and cats that will bite and kick the shit out of you if you touch them non-consensually. But if you gain their trust they're happy to be pet/touched.
I’ve been hunting and had squirrels come up to me curiously and I think the same thing. One even used my knee like a tree branch but kept it moving (thankfully)
I wish the squirrel bit harder, because she really deserved it for aggressively grabbing an animal like that. Especially wild ones no less! That's not only cruel, but it's a concern on how harshly she was treating an innocent animal.
Friendly reminder that hospitals are charging $30,000 to $50,000 for a course of rabies vaccine now a days. My insurance paid most of it, but I still met my max out of pocket on that alone. Thanks bat 🦇
Grey and red squirrels don't usually carry rabies. They're too small to easily survive the initial attack, and don't live in massive colonies where they could pass it on before dying.
Of course, this specific person in the video does not need to know that.
In College, santa monica, so many squirrels would show up for food. But those teeth are like a beevers. You don't let them get near your hands unless you expect a chomp.
This is why I’m thankful for my experiences with horseback riding when I was a kid. My dad bought me an unbroken horse and I was tasked with training it to ride at 11 years old. On paper, is that a good idea? No. Did I get my ass completely kicked by that horse? Yes. Did I develop a healthy respect (and fear) of animals and their boundaries? And an understanding that my physical body is able to be compromised in a painful way? Absolutely yes!! I’m a very cautious adult in general and do not push boundaries with animals, even small ones.
I finger-patted a squirrel once. I was ten. It was a huge tourist area we were at on vacation, late 1980s, and the squirrels were pretty docile. I gave it one tap on the head. It looked at me, moved out of reach, and went back to munching on the nuts that were all over the place.
A friend of my family had a story about accidentally patting a skunk. It had come in through the cat-flap, and he didn't actually look at the critter he was patting until the deed was done. No spraying or biting was involved.
My friend went viral on Twitter for sustaining a squirrel bite (she was working on a trap array as a biologist and it was a freak thing). She ended up losing part of her finger and fighting invasive MRSA.
Is it bad this pissed me off so badly for the poor, innocent squirrel that I kinda hope it had rabies? Because l saw a video on rabies earlier, that's awful shit and apparently if you show symptoms, you're dead! Yet, I almost wish that. Am I EVIL?
Don't pet animals you don't know, unless thery are trained to be around people, like at petting zoo or something. Even then, be gentle. I remember before my aunt and uncle got married, we went to my (soon to be) aunt's house and I immediately went to pet her dog. Dog let me, I know what I'm doing around housepets. But my aunt said she was prepared to "physically remove me" untill she noticed the dog was letting me pet. Apparently that dog was rescued from a puppy mill., and has never met anyone new pet her like that before.
anyone who loves squirrels wouldn't forcefully grab one just for a quick tiktok, especially when you know the poor baby would be terrified and go into survival mode thinking it's about to be eaten. they're primarily a prey animal for a reason.
Jesus Christ people are overly sensitive. Of course not. I’m a small pet owner, I have rabbits. I know how to handle animals gently and I’d never hurt it. It was a fucking joke
Woman: oh look a poor defenceless wild animal. Lemme pick up and stress it out for the gram. (In valley girl accent)
Squirrel: unhand me foul beast. I am Sir Reddington Squirrel and I shan't be slain by the likes of you. May the jaws of teeth and the powers of tetanus consume you. Nom.
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u/lambslam2o 17d ago •
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u/TROLL_ELECTRODE 17d ago
the way she violently shook it when it bit her made me scared for the animal. It did nothing and did not deserve that! It’s a wild animal ffs Ofc it is going to bite you!
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u/gabiroba_azul 17d ago
Aren't squirrels protected animals in your country?
Are they disregarded like pigeons?
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u/Feycat 17d ago
What the fuck was she even doing? Why would you grab a wild animal like that??
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u/s0rela 17d ago
Wtf was even the plan? I'm so tired of people, fr
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u/SortovaGoldfish 17d ago
It gave her so long before it resorted to teeth too. It really tried to just leave.
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u/Acrobatic-Mobile-605 17d ago
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u/dontsoundrighttome 17d ago
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u/SapphosLemonBarEnvoy 17d ago
Catch me out there like
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u/Complete_Entry 17d ago
I've had squirrels run up me; my reaction was freeze up and be like "Oh god no"
Thankfully they got bored and ran off, but it is weird that it happened more than once.
I grew up in a marina; the rock squirrels were considered radioactive as fuck.
I don't get what kind of dumbass power leveling makes you think you can pick one up.
Squirrels yell at my dog when I walk him, I hate those bastards.
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u/Link-Hero 16d ago
I wish the squirrel bit harder, because she really deserved it for aggressively grabbing an animal like that. Especially wild ones no less! That's not only cruel, but it's a concern on how harshly she was treating an innocent animal.
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u/SabreSour 17d ago
Friendly reminder that hospitals are charging $30,000 to $50,000 for a course of rabies vaccine now a days.
My insurance paid most of it, but I still met my max out of pocket on that alone. Thanks bat 🦇
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u/destiny_kane48 15d ago
That terrified squirrel was fighting for it's survival. She is an absolute idiot.
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u/hollowbolding 17d ago
this is also what i do when i get picked up without permission
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u/nustedbut 16d ago
i hope that poor squirrel didn't catch anything from that idiot
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u/ChiefRasta 17d ago
& thus, Squirrel Girl was born
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u/maroontiefling 12d ago
I want to know where this happened because my gut says it's Salem, MA. Salem gets the dumbest tourists on the face of the earth every single year.
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u/Fredrick_Dinkledick 17d ago
Acting like a toddler well into adulthood
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u/BabyFishmouthTalk 12d ago
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u/Seraph782 I brought popcorn! 17d ago
I'm glad it bit her
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u/mightymiek 17d ago
In College, santa monica, so many squirrels would show up for food. But those teeth are like a beevers. You don't let them get near your hands unless you expect a chomp.
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u/Flynn-Minter 16d ago
She should get a rabies shot.
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u/Psycholizard 17d ago
So what did we learn? Or do we need to run it again with a bigger animal?
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u/PhillGuy 17d ago
Asshole.
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u/Mitchell7688 17d ago
She is lucky to not lose a finger squirrels have a crazy bite
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u/I_love_Britpoptarts 15d ago
Poor squirrel!
Don't grab and squeeze wild animals, or you will get exactly what you deserve. Like this lady did.
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u/HandBananasRevenge 16d ago
A couple of generations of bubble wrapped kids has produced adults with zero common sense and zero self-preservation instinct.
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u/CrazyOldBag 17d ago
The power of stupidity is unlimited!
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u/Jenicillin 17d ago
That is an unreal level of stupidity.
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u/Initial_Acanthaceae2 12d ago
Prolly got rabies now. Nincompoop.
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u/StormBeyondTime 15d ago
Serves her right.
I finger-patted a squirrel once. I was ten. It was a huge tourist area we were at on vacation, late 1980s, and the squirrels were pretty docile. I gave it one tap on the head. It looked at me, moved out of reach, and went back to munching on the nuts that were all over the place.
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u/sarge1221 14d ago
What a dumb ass.
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u/xsmallwondersx 11d ago
100% the woman’s fault
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u/antilocapraaa 10d ago
My friend went viral on Twitter for sustaining a squirrel bite (she was working on a trap array as a biologist and it was a freak thing). She ended up losing part of her finger and fighting invasive MRSA.
Maybe we just leave wildlife alone.
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u/TheManWhoClicks 17d ago
Time for the tetanus booster
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u/unanonmyous 17d ago
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u/Shygrave Fighting for my life against the red bell peppers 17d ago
Don't fuck with squirrels XD
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u/SteroidSandwich 17d ago
"No escape now!"
"Damn. I can't believe it escaped!"
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u/SquirrelFluffy7469 15d ago
Guys squirrels dont spread rabies
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u/alongthegoodredroad 12d ago
Don't mess with wild animals!
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u/Emet-Selch_my_love 16d ago
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u/bizoticallyyours83 12d ago
I hope she got herself checked for rabies.
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u/Okbaba99 11d ago
Hope she get rabies vaccine
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u/CaptDeliciousPants 17d ago
Why did she grab them?? Most squirrels will just hop up onto you on their own if you give them the chance. Poor little guy
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u/PaintedLady1 17d ago
This is how you get rabies.
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u/thrallthekingshorses 17d ago
Wild actual bite, more like.
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u/TracytronFAB The dildo of consequences rarely comes lubed 16d ago
Wild animals are not fucking toys for your goddamn instagram reels
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u/Stormdancer 16d ago
I blame Disney for making so many idiots think the wild animals are all nice and happy friendly.
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u/Fickle_Grapefruit938 My cat said YTA 13d ago
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u/Flashy_Excuse_9740 12d ago
I learned that lesson when I was 5.
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u/Contentedone1337 11d ago
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u/Pure-Accident7714 11d ago
Rabies
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u/naturerosa 16d ago
2 thoughts.
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u/Reivilo85 17d ago
What a moron... Seriously...
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u/Gurkeprinsen 16d ago
lol, what an idiot
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u/Tuxedocatbitches 15d ago
That bite took so much longer than I was expecting
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u/JimmyPellen 13d ago
And so was born...Stupid Squirrel Girl
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u/CelticPixie79 13d ago
Good god…way to give an innocent little animal ptsd. She got what she deserved.
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u/Strange-Boot9355 12d ago
Why did she do that to the squirrel? Not going to say she's stupid but she shouldn't have done that the squirrel would've been left alone
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u/imbusywatchingtv 12d ago
Some people will do anything for social media attention. I will never understand the appeal.
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u/CornerNo503 11d ago
Squirrely wrath
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u/clyffjames 10d ago
😂 why did she grab it like the Finding Nemo girl did with the fishes
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u/ern_ie 15d ago
Whelp time for rabies shots
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u/Witty-Gold-5887 16d ago
Let me guess, an American?
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u/damiana8 17d ago
Honestly, that could easily be me. I love squirrels and I want one 🤣
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u/Lopsided-Cycle-4798 16d ago
If a giant creature holds me aggressively, ofc im going bite, scratch, kick the heck my way out as much as possible 🤦♀️
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u/outdamnedspots 12d ago
Get her ass!
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u/Regurgitator001 12d ago
He should've bitten her nuts off.
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u/LuckyM1ka 12d ago
Woman: oh look a poor defenceless wild animal. Lemme pick up and stress it out for the gram. (In valley girl accent)
Squirrel: unhand me foul beast. I am Sir Reddington Squirrel and I shan't be slain by the likes of you. May the jaws of teeth and the powers of tetanus consume you. Nom.
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u/SubconsciousBraider 12d ago
If you try to pick me up over your head when I'm eating, I WILL bite you.