Nutters who shoot grey squirrels

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't even know who the rock is .  He's got my vote though.

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't even know who the rock is .  He's got my vote though.

I refuse to believe you don't know who the Rock is.

The Rock.

I refuse to believe you don't know who the Rock is.

The Rock.

He obviously doesn't know what The Rock is cooking.

Any of these ring a bell?

The Toothfairy springs to mind. It seems to be on TV way to often this year.

The Scorpion King (and The Mummy Returns), Standing Tall, He voiced Maui in Moana.  Ha, he's in the new Baywatch movie coming out.

He obviously doesn't know what The Rock is cooking.

 

The Scorpion King (and The Mummy Returns)

This gem is always on top of the "Awful CGI List".  Apparently they ran out of money for the Rock's ending transformation. 

It is something to behold.

This gem is always on top of the "Awful CGI List".  Apparently they ran out of money for the Rock's ending transformation. 

It is something to behold.

I've only seen the scorpion king once and it was ridiculous! Haha.

Have I stumbled upon a thread about Pokémon go?  Obscure pickle brands?  I see the words , but nothing makes sense.  I've never heard of any of those movies either.

Okay, maybe heard of Baywatch , but certainly never watched it.

Okay, maybe heard of Baywatch , but certainly never watched it.

I don't think it's in theatres quite yet. It's a comedy now! At least they arent taking themselves seriously.

 

Have I stumbled upon a thread about Pokémon go?  Obscure pickle brands?  I see the words , but nothing makes sense.  I've never heard of any of those movies either.

Hehe. The Rock started off as  wrestler in the WWF. His catch phrase was 'can you smell what The Rock is cooking?' Then I think he actually did a cook book and broke into acting as The Scorpion King. He's a really nice guy!

Okay, I'll take your word for it.  How do you know he's a nice guy?

Okay, I'll take your word for it.  How do you know he's a nice guy?

Well, his social media, how he interacts with his fans and how he acts in interviews. You can at least tell he's not a dick!

I always forget about social media!  I actually like the Hoff a little bit, apart from the hamburger video.  I'd vote for him over Trump any day. 

You know who is going to run for political office?  Will Smith.  He's been talking about it for years.

I read this bizarre article in the Guardian about people who spend time shooting grey squirrels.  Since the grey squirrel is seen as "American" and an invader who is bigger and stronger that out-competes the native red squirrels, it seems a bit disconcerting to see people taking great pleasure in shooting them.   I get the impression that the nutter Sara Palin looking lady would happily take a shot at me if given the chance .

Check it out:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/02/kill-them-the-volunteer-army-plotting-to-wipe-out-britains-grey-squirrels?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

(nods) I get what you mean; I have relatives and friends who hunt for food (where a bunch of my deer bone for carving comes from), and then there are the relatives and acquaintance that hunt because they enjoy killing something. The former acts with a measure of respect and balance; the latter are some creepy ass buggers that I don't turn my back on.

I'd eat squirrel stew and would never argue that people shouldn't hunt for food. 

I'm not convinced that we are ever going to kill all the grey squirrels and somehow the reds are going to make a comeback. 

I like grey squirrels just fine and I am unbothered by the fact that they out compete the reds. 

But I'm no biologist and have just read one article.  What I'm more interested in is the thinly disguised xenophobia and glee in shooting the "foreigner squirrel "

Competition within an established ecosystem can create problems other than just undermining the immediate competitive species, but it can also create benefits if you're lucky. Between grays and pigeons, urbanizing raptors have less competition for lunch options, which can help bring low population numbers back.

Culling alone rarely works for any species that reproduces as easily and often as anything in the Rodentia taxon. Conservationists are more likely to have greater success combating Squirrel parapoxvirus by finding a way to wipe out the virus so that reds don't get it in the first place, and propping competition with more aggro grays by offsetting reds mortality numbers with captive breed-for-release and strategic food availability.

Need to see if I can find any studies on food availability and behavior with UK grays and reds. With the grays I raise as rescue/rehabs here, I notice that the more food and dray options I make available, the less fighting and aggression displays I see. That's not unusual for a lot of animals; when there's food and resource security, they have less reason to waste energy on fighting for primary access to them. I can keep opossum and raccoons from stealing the squirrel food by putting up a barrier with an entrance too small for them that will allow the squirrels. It'd be a much trickier difference in sizes, but I'd like to try the same thing with reds. One more project to add to my UK species Bucket List  ;0)