I wasn’t looking for a moral conflict about a wild animal last Saturday, but life had other plans. Ah, the cruel cycle of irony. A rustling sound, like metal strips against concrete alerted me of the problem. The investigation, while hasty, was thorough and revealed a squirrel shaped like a watermelon trapped in a cage.
A cage like thus:
Generally speaking, animals are cool with me, although if nature Darwins out praying mantises, I’ll host the extinction party. But back to the dilemma: what to do about Sebastian the watermelon squirrel. One of the most effective problem solving techniques is the passive approach. Give the problem space and it might self resolve. An effort free technique, it requires no stress and is a favorite of most American managers. Fourteen hours later Sebastian still railed against the prison walls like a man in need of a conjugal visit.
The passive approach had failed, so I pondered the vigilante method: throw the trap in the trunk, drive to my ex-bosses house and introduce Sebastian to his wife. Since neither Sebastian and I had shaved recently, this option was nixed. Besides, unleashing a squirrel on another neighborhood is rather like dumping a kid from Bel Air on downtown Newark. The fish out of water is at a disadvantage.
Freeing Sebastian on the front lawn was a possibility. However, that meant replacing the peanut butter bait before the landlord uncovered the deception. And I had already fed all the peanut butter to Sebastian. Then the solution hit me. I’m a renter! With no haste or regard for the late hour, I left a brief message for the landlord.
Sam: Hi, just calling you at one in the morning. There’s a squirrel caught in the trap, and it’s cold so I moved him in the basement and gave him lots of food and water. Don’t worry the trap is closed.
Ah, problem solved. The trap disappeared the next morning. In the face of chaos, decisive action delivers results.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww you are such a sweetie! Ya gotta be good to our animal friends, u no!
Ok..When I was a kid, my medium sized dog got loose and somehow jammed himself into one of these cages…and no one knew about it…..he was in there for about 8 hrs….poor fella….
And I saved a mouse that got trapped to one of those sticky thingys that my old office had up in the ceiling…..the exterminator wanted to snap his neck…but I wouldnt let him…took that little bugger outside, poured warm water over the sticky thingy, managed to get his little feetsies free and he hopped off into the brush… Ironically…..the next weekend….the movie remake of Willard came out…….I have yet to hear the end of the ordeal.
I still get emails from those folks with little mouse pics telling me thank you….lol
thanks very much for the kind words and approbations hippie j.
AH the trapped animal in a cage. Unfortunately I am faced with this problem just about every day. Ranging from cats, small dogs, and the ever popular skunk. The skunk is usually the one I find more often than not. And you dont have to see it to know that it is there. The nose will alert long before the sight of it. And usually upon sight, it lets you know that it has seen you too. Now the fun part is when you approach the cage (ever so slowly with nose clinched) and its mate has been sitting there waiting, freely outside the cage. I’ll leave it at that. Suffice it to say, 8 hours of work, with the odor of Aud’ de skunk doesnt make the time pass quickly.
does tomato juice remove the smell of skunk in clothing? or is fire the only way?
I don’t feel too sorry for the stupid squirrel. Believe me, you don’t ever want to get one trapped inside your house, or serious damage will result.