A squirrel in San Rafael, California is attacking people

With their bushy tails, squirrels are often viewed as much cuter than most of their rodent kin; beauty privilege at work again. But at least one wild brown squirrel in San Rafael, California is reminding citizens not to be fooled by its friendly Disney-critter appearance. The little guy is attacking people and has already sent at least two victims to the hospital for wound care. Posters have been deployed throughout the town with the header “Attack Squirrel Beware!!!!” followed by a picture of a squirrel mid-flight looking straight at the camera like it’s a bowl of nuts. (Note: the photo is believed to be a stock image and not a direct representation of the assailant still at large.) Then the first line of the notice reads, “This is not a joke more than 5 people have been attacked by a very mean squirrel.” Of course it’s not a joke… yet it could be said that the particular image selected for the posters might strike some as humorous, but in a menacing fashion. Speaking for a friend.

Marin county’s humane society lays the blame on humans: “We’ve received at least two reports of people being attacked by a squirrel in a neighborhood of San Rafael. This behavior is unusual for squirrels and is likely the result of someone feeding it,” said Lisa Bloch, the director of marketing and communications at Marin Humane, in a statement. “When wildlife is fed by humans, they can lose their natural fear and act more emboldened. This is why we remind people that feeding wildlife can have negative consequences — for both people and the animals,” Bloch added.

A survivor speaks: Joan Heblack was enjoying a peaceful walk through Lucas Valley in San Rafael, when the rodent launched itself at her and proceeded to claw and bite her, she told ABC News affiliate, KGO-TV. “It came out of nowhere. I didn’t see him running up to me at all,” Heblack said. “It clamped onto my leg. The tail was flying up here. I was like, ‘Get it off me, get off me!’ I didn’t want to touch it.” Heblack said her injuries were so severe, she went to the ER to seek treatment.

And another: Isabel Campoy said she was another victim of the vicious squirrel and was hospitalized from her wounds after coming into contact with the rodent on a walk. “Squirrel went from the floor tried to jump up to my face, I tried to protect my face, my arm was completely overcome by squirrel,” Campoy told KGO. “Finally it jumped off, by then I was full of blood, I run to the emergency room.”

Seriously, don’t feed wild animals: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agrees that feeding wild animals is destructive, as it may cause them to react negatively when they are not fed. “Wild animals that gain regular access to human or domestic pet food slowly get used to being in busy areas and seeing humans. Over time, these usually calm and docile animals may become aggressive and cause harm to people in the area,” the agency says on its website.

Squirrels don’t spread rabies: There have been no reported cases of rabies transmission from squirrels to humans in the United States, as they do not spread rabies, according to the LA County Department of Public Health.

[From ABC News]

“…feeding wild animals is destructive, as it may cause them to react negatively when they are not fed.” This principle doesn’t exclusively apply to wild animals. Again, speaking for a friend. But yeah, not at all surprised that at the end of the day the source of the problem is… people. Once more: don’t feed wildlife! It’s a game of FAFO that the animals will always win — just ask that woman in Washington State who fed raccoons for years, then woke up one morning to find 100 of them in her yard.

That fact about squirrels not spreading rabies took me and CB by surprise, but it’s true. While no one (in the US) is on record as having gotten rabies from a squirrel, some public health boards warn it may be a concern if the squirrel is acting “abnormally,” and also recommend getting a tetanus shot if bitten regardless of the squirrel’s behavior. To the citizens of San Rafael: first and foremost be safe and aware of your surroundings. Then, can we maybe stop slandering this woodland creature? It wasn’t born mean, it was driven to this! By us!! Now it’s facing a grim winter where its kids will only get two acorns for Christmas instead of 30.

Photos credit: pixabay and Chait Goli on Pexels