niggles Posted October 11, 2012 Squirrels have bitten to death a stray dog which was barking at them in a Russian park, local media report. Passers-by were too late to stop the attack by the black squirrels in a village in the far east, which reportedly lasted about a minute. They are said to have scampered off at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh. A pine cone shortage may have led the squirrels to seek other food sources, although scientists are sceptical. The attack was reported in parkland in the centre of Lazo, a village in the Maritime Territory, and was witnessed by three local people. A "big" stray dog was nosing about the trees and barking at squirrels hiding in branches overhead when a number of them suddenly descended and attacked, reports say. "They literally gutted the dog," local journalist Anastasia Trubitsina told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. "When they saw the men, they scattered in different directions, taking pieces of their kill away with them." Mikhail Tiyunov, a scientist in the region, said it was the first he had ever heard of such an attack. While squirrels without sources of protein might attack birds' nests, he said, the idea of them chewing a dog to death was "absurd". "If it really happened, things must be pretty bad in our forests," he added. Komosmolskaya Pravda notes that in a previous incident this autumn chipmunks terrorised cats in a part of the territory. A Lazo man who called himself only Mikhalich said there had been "no pine cones at all" in the local forests this year. "The little beasts are agitated because they have nothing to eat," he added. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4489792.stm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted October 12, 2012 Russian squirrels come in packs now? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shruman Posted October 12, 2012 I, For One, Welcome Our New Squirrel Overlords Killer Squirrels I knew it all along. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionysus Posted October 12, 2012 hmm, must be all the super-breeding going on in the former soviet states... any reports of glowing eyes? sure it wasn't one squirrel with a pack of heads? lol not really related, but interesting that instead of being a desolate mutation zone full of savage squirrels, prypiat is now a thriving 'wildlife sanctuary' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niggles Posted October 12, 2012 I would like to see a smaller, cuter animal become a crazed pack killer. Perhaps hedgehogs, or pygmy possums, or two day old kittens. AWWW! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niggles Posted October 12, 2012 not really related, but interesting that instead of being a desolate mutation zone full of savage squirrels, prypiat is now a thriving 'wildlife sanctuary' I convinced one of my friends to go to prypiat/chernobyl for a holiday. He has some amazing photos of the place, Could post some if you interested.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted October 12, 2012 This could be a world wide squirrel uprising: Oct 9, 2012 Riverside County health officials say they’ve trapped a ground squirrel in the San Jacinto Mountains that's tested positive for bubonic plague, an infectious disease that can spread to humans through the bites of infected fleas. http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/10/09/34576/bubonic-plague-found-riverside-county-ground-squir/ squirrely wrath: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted October 12, 2012 Bath Salts.......zombie squirrels now 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nothinghead Posted October 12, 2012 russia's squirrels, workin against the stereotype Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtarman Posted October 12, 2012 I would like to see a smaller, cuter animal become a crazed pack killer. Perhaps hedgehogs, or pygmy possums, or two day old kittens. AWWW! small turtles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
