STOP using squirrels for attention and to make money!
There are a lot of “Internet sensation” famous squirrels of late & people showing their “pet squirrels” for donations & attention. Fat squirrels stuffed full of Dorito chips, diving in cake sprinkles, squirrels dressed up in outfits and hats. Squirrels eating waffles and whole avocados, squirrels performing like a circus side show. REALLY people? Many people are properly keeping squirrels in states where it is not legal to do and NOW because of unwanted online attention by this Social Media scammer, Fish and Wildlife authorities will be looking for illegal wildlife. In the most recent case, the Instagram influencer even went as far as to keep his squirrel with a rabies vector animal, an officer was bitten. The squirrel & RVS were euthanized according to STATE health department policy, NOT unilaterally by an overzealous officer. Another “Influencer” had a swingers club next (story below) to his rehab with cages in view of patrons so they could be entertained. I think many of these so-called Influencers want attention and have a “look at me” mentality, as well as to fund things other than actual squirrel care with “Gofundme” accounts. PEOPLE, this is making it difficult for those who keep a low profile actual non-releasable squirrels, and they are now put at risk. These high-profile cases set a by-the-book precedent that officers have to apply to every case from that point on. “Normalizing” keeping pet squirrels peeves off real rehabilitators & Fish and Wildlife agents putting them on the offensive every time someone gets accidently caught who is NOT putting their NR on social media. STOP putting your squirrels online in an improper manner and attracting unwanted attention from authorities! If you want to post something, put up a positive story about saving your non-releasable squirrel, your squirrel hand playing, eating, enjoying it’s habitat – please do not make it a sideshow. If you want to raise funds give it rehabbers for vet bills, formula, or a rehab center or use it for your own squirrel for vet bills and care. There are people who do this to collect money for their own use. And for God’s sake keep porn/swinging and squirrels separate. The most recent influencer even used “squirrel dad” on his porn site. Now he wants sympathy and money. It’s WRONG what was done to the squirrel (should have been quarantined and placed with a rehabber) but DEC Police didn’t cause this, they were following NY Dept of Health mandatory protocol. The scam influencer caused this himself, no one else! He used this squirrel for personal gain and then introduced a rabies vector species that should have been turned over to a rehabber. It was all a big joke to these horrible people in their videos and the death of the squirrel is the end result. If you donated to this you were scammed and this needs to be investigated for money laundering, wire fraud, tax evasion and exhibiting without a USDA permit.
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Recent Examples: In this video influencer laughs while squirrels eats the toxic phenolic handle of a screwdriver
These people are total scam artists. Do not donate a $1 Exclusive | Who ratted out P’nut the Squirrel? Owners have their theory — and it’s a rich one
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Another person involved in the sex trade using squirrels to make money: