Clergyman told he can't kill or release trapped squirrel

A clergyman who caught a squirrel in his house was told he was neither allowed to kill it nor release it into the wild. Douglas Drane, 70, minister of the Mariner's Church in Gloucester Docks, was told he could be breaking the law if he culled the animal "inhumanely". However, It is also illegal to release grey squirrels, which are considered an alien species, into the wild, even in areas like Gloucestershire where there are not believed to be any native reds squirrels remaining.

Rev Drane says his home in Bredon, near Tewkesbury, has been plagued with grey squirrels which have broken into his loft and chewed through pipes.. "I caught one of these vermin in a humane trap but when I called the RSPCA I was told I could not let it go because it posed a threat to red squirrels, which are not native to Gloucestershire," he said.



"I was also told I could not kill the animal myself and that risked prosecution if I did. I had to get a pest controller to come and do the job - at a cost of £70. I was dumbfounded by the RSPCA's response. What on earth am I supposed to do if I can't kill the squirrel or release it?

"I have done everything by the book. But it shows the law is an ass. It clearly needs to be changed." Rev Drane said people should have the right to deal with the pests themselves. "Why do I have to pay £70 for a pest controller rather than just deal with the problem myself? It does not make any sense," he said.