NYSDEC Siezes Squirrel

Catskillkid

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Grimscale said:
As a rehabber you could, theoretically, get permits to keep "unreleasable" animals...those that cannot be successful no matter how much care they receive... but only for educational purposes.
What this guy was doing isn't considered educational. But also wasn't as profound as capturing animals to sell body parts (did you know it is illegal for you to pick up and keep a hawk's discarded feather?)
But it also didn't require the heavy-handed tactics that apparently infest all aspects of NYS organizations.

A good portion of DEC's work is, actually, of great benefit to the environment. Unfortunately acts like this will only turn public opinion against ALL of DEC's efforts.

Good job, heil hochul. Once again you prove that organizations under your control are more akin to the gestapo than they are like your friendly neighborhood sheriff.
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I did know that (about the hawk's feather). I believe any wild animal parts you can't have (my childhood collection of turkey feather probably makes me a felon!) I once looked into what it would take to get a falconry license and boy is it involved! But it needs to be to properly care for the animals.

Agree 100% with your perspective. My gut is telling me this guy (as good as his intentions may be) obtained two WILD animals and used them for narcissistic purposes (look what a sweet guy I am, I'm dressing up a squirrel in funny costumes and posting the videos on Instagram). I may be wrong but it doesn't sound like he was hosting school groups to talk about ecology.

My dad spent his entire career in DEC (Associate Forester) and one of my best friends growing up's father was an ECO. Got to know several of the foresters and biologists. As I got older my line of work brought me into contact with fisheries staff, Forest Rangers, and several different types of engineers. All good folks who care about the work they go and conserving the environment and our natural resources.

It is a real shame that a large proportion of people immediately associate anyone from "the government" with nefarious purposes. Considering everything that has been going on over the last several decades I guess I really can't blame them.

In my judicial position I interact with cops all the time (local PD, County Sheriff, and State Troopers). With a few exceptions, all of them have been nothing but professional, and not just to me but to the attorneys and defendants. I also know that if they think they can get a collar they will and they will always remain agents of the state. My advice when dealing with police is to be polite but if you think they're trying to corner you as a suspect invoke the 5th and ask for an attorney.

All this is a long way of saying, if you want to take care of wildlife, do the right thing, get the proper paperwork/training and don't be an ass.
 
Catskillkid

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spat said:
Which one would *you* rather have living in your neighborhood ?
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The last few years I've been getting more and more black squirrels in my yard/property and far fewer grey squirrels. Are the grey squirrels moving to the suburbs to keep their kids away from the undesirable elements?

The number of annoying ass red squirrels seems to have remained consistent.
 
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Catskillkid said:
I was hoping a wildlife rehabber would chime in on this. While extremely heavy handed, the State was acting within the law. If this guy had decided to not do the social media thing no one would probably be the wiser and Fred and Peanut would still be alive.

I get that we can't just have anyone taking in wild animals. Wild animals are not pets and need a level of care that the average person just cannot provide. Having said that though, DEC looks like jack booted thugs in this incident and it is very bad optics. And with all the other more serious environmental crimes out there I as a tax payer would like to see them direct their energies to more important matters.

I don't know this guy personally, but I have a suspicion (and this is pure speculation) is that he was probable more than a bit of an ass and wanted to have the animals for social media clout and didn't want to actually deal with filling out paperwork and getting proper training, which is why it went down how it did.
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Back when I was in grade school, I knew of a kid who had a pet squirrel. Very few people knew about it, kept it hush, hush.

When people would come over, it was smart enough to go to it's crate to hide and not come out unless directed by him. I was one of the lucky ones to actually see it and hold it. Promised I'd never say a word.

Very friendly and well trained. Not messy and very docile as it got older. Reminded me of a cat, but I think it had better manners in some regard.

He was quite upset when it passed.

Otherwise, wild squirrels, well, I hate them little bastards. They chew on infrastructure, get into buildings, causes all kinds of havoc. They are fucking rodents at that point.
 
kev74

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It's funny that ECOs will regularly confront armed poachers and other armed criminals in the middle of nowhere, single handedly and with no expectation of back -up . But it took an armed mob of these creeps to ask this guy about his pet squirrel.

Another fun fact .. if you call up your local health department and tell them you were bit or scratched by a squirrel, they'll tell you you're not at risk for rabies exposure, they won't refer you for treatment (shots) and won't send the specimen for testing.

This squirrel was home kept for years, and was ZERO risk for transmitting rabies. DEC could have called the guy and helped him complete his paperwork to keep the squirrel. They could have asked him to bring it to a licensed rehabilitator until he got his permit. Instead they sent in a swat team, and acted surprised when one of the mob that bum rushed the squirrel and got nipped.
 
Robin

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Catskillkid said:
I did know that (about the hawk's feather). I believe any wild animal parts you can't have (my childhood collection of turkey feather probably makes me a felon!) I once looked into what it would take to get a falconry license and boy is it involved! But it needs to be to properly care for the animals.

Agree 100% with your perspective. My gut is telling me this guy (as good as his intentions may be) obtained two WILD animals and used them for narcissistic purposes (look what a sweet guy I am, I'm dressing up a squirrel in funny costumes and posting the videos on Instagram). I may be wrong but it doesn't sound like he was hosting school groups to talk about ecology.

My dad spent his entire career in DEC (Associate Forester) and one of my best friends growing up's father was an ECO. Got to know several of the foresters and biologists. As I got older my line of work brought me into contact with fisheries staff, Forest Rangers, and several different types of engineers. All good folks who care about the work they go and conserving the environment and our natural resources.

It is a real shame that a large proportion of people immediately associate anyone from "the government" with nefarious purposes. Considering everything that has been going on over the last several decades I guess I really can't blame them.

In my judicial position I interact with cops all the time (local PD, County Sheriff, and State Troopers). With a few exceptions, all of them have been nothing but professional, and not just to me but to the attorneys and defendants. I also know that if they think they can get a collar they will and they will always remain agents of the state. My advice when dealing with police is to be polite but if you think they're trying to corner you as a suspect invoke the 5th and ask for an attorney.

All this is a long way of saying, if you want to take care of wildlife, do the right thing, get the proper paperwork/training and don't be an ass.
Click to expand...
I too have know officers and biologists alike and back in the day when it was 'The Conservation Department' it was manned by people that mostly started at the bottom and worked their way up, they didn't make much money, but loved the outdoors and what they did. When it became 'The Department of Environmental Conservation' all that changed! Now the people that wield power are for the most part are political hacks who owe no allegiance to the great outdoors, only to the left wing assholes that put their fat asses in that seat and would be lost in any woods out of earshot of near by traffic. Lots of women, lots of anti gunners, lots of anti hunters, who know nothing about the environment and everything about which side their bread is buttered on.
Hell, even "The Conservationist" that once internationally respected publication has turned into a woke rag of political correct bullshit.
Robin
 
GOPerfect

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It is not the death of this animal that I am concerned about. Yeah, it really does suck that these people have lost a pet...

My issue is overreach, the waste of resources. The violations of Rights and laws. This is a squirrel, if they are willing to do this over a rodent, Imagine how far they are willing to go....
 
Grimscale

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Acer-m14 said:
How is DEC handling the wetlands the Chip plant wants to build on ???


bet they are all for the Chips and not the critters of the wetlands ..
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Seeing as how they once tried to get people to vote on a proposition to trade forested Adirondack park land for logged over "adjacent" land...
 
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