At first I thought the squirrels were pretty cute running through my backyard and leaping from branch to branch. They entertained my dog to no end, too. Then I saw them nibbling on my newly planted garden. And stealing bird food. And leaving a mess in the eaves. How annoying! Still, one solution never even occurred to me: eating them for dinner.
I once interviewed a family with several organic gardens — which they relied on for fresh produce — that for years had been ravaged by squirrels. The husband told me he'd finally "gone all Caddy Shack on them." I think you know what that means. I didn't even ask what he did with them afterwards.
Then, a couple of months ago, I read about a Seattle woman, Melany Vorass, who took the city's obsession with locavore to a new level. After attempting, with little success, to "repatriate" the squirrels that were wreaking havoc on her house and yard, she realized she'd have to exterminate them.
When she found a recipe for squirrel in her copy of the Joy of Cooking, Vorass decided that if she had to kill the pesky critters, she would also eat them. Risotto di rodentia, anyone? Squirrel supposedly tastes like rabbit, and Vorass details the butchering and safely preparing of the animal on her blog. Feeling squeamish? True, squirrels are cute, but so are pigs and cows.
Apparently, in England, where the nonnative gray squirrel has overtaken the habitat of the indigenous red squirrel, a slogan urges citizens to "Save a red, eat a gray!" Even some of London's finest restaurants have it on the menu. And it shows up in old American cookbooks, too, as it was a readily available source of protein pre-industrialization.
Personally, I'm torn. I can't decide if it's an eco-friendly alternative to pest control or if it's cruel. (Vorass drowns the squirrels, which she says is more pleasant than death by predator.) For now, I plan to put up some chicken wire around my veggies and let the squirrels have the run of my yard. I'm grateful my dog isn't fast enough to catch them and tear them to pieces.
What do you think? Have you ever had to use pest control on squirrels? Would you consider trapping and eating them instead?
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I've eaten squirrel. I was a student at camp all summer and my (somewhat outdoor-crazy) friend was dealing with the squirrel problem. He made a stew and I tried it. Didn't taste bad, but I don't think I would again... those things were eating garbage and it's hard to get past that.
Drowning any animal is not a humane form of euthanasia, and is therefore animal cruelty. This woman has since stopped this act as a result. If you must eat any animal, you owe it to them to kill it humanely. The animal is giving it's life to be eaten, at least have the compassion to not allow it to suffer.
Additionally, there are many humane ways to solve problems with squirrels. Lethal control or trapping and relocating rarely (if ever) solve issues with "nuisance wildlife." They are generally attracted to food, water, or shelter... eliminate these, and they will move on or be less numerous. If you choose not to deal with the underlying attractant, another animal will merely fill the space of the animal you've killed or relocated.
Thank you, @sprock3T. You said it well.
Squirrel hunting season is Nov through Feb in the NYC area. Not exactly when I'm angry that they're wreaking havoc in my garden.
The real eco-friendly alternative is to preserve forest habitat so squirrels will have a place to live besides cities, and to bring back their predators from the brink of extinction. Owls, hawks, snakes and small carnivorous mammals would do great to keep their populations under control if we weren't so hell-bent on paving over everything.
Sprock3t is correct, drowning is not humane. But I am pro-hunting as long as people are going to eat everything they catch and use every part of the animal (and eat fewer factory farmed animals as a result).
I always think it is funny when they say things like "Squirrel Problem". We take their homes away, as well as their food sources. By tearing down all the green space, so we can put another apartment complex up. Who is the one with the problem.
I found this article really disturbing. My neighbor kills squirrels because they supposedly nest in his attic and chew on wires. One died a really terrible death on my lawn complete with twitches and seizures. I realize that animals are food but come on... this is ridiculous.
You can't decide "if it's an eco-friendly alternative to pest control or if it's cruel" to drown squirrels?
What's wrong with you?
I'm all for eating them...but make sure you know what they're eating first!
Ditto @travtastic. My grandfather used to catch squirrels and release them in the park for eating his sunflowers. It was more of a competitive sport between him and the squirrels, which, we're pretty sure, just came back hours later. Drown them and eat them? WTF?
Bring on the slew of negative stereo-types, but down in MS this is not even a question. Shooting them is an excellent way to keep them out of your garden, and with some fresh vegetables, they make a good stew. This might not be quite a viable option in very dense urban areas, so perhaps the best defense is to focus on providing an alternate habitat for them, or just plant extra knowing that some will go to wildlife.
I figure kill to eat, don't eat to kill...er...or something like that. Beheading a squirrel is SO much more humane...though messy. (I can't help thinking this whole discussion is a little squirrelly...)
I was hoping this article was a joke.
We have a plethora of bunnies that nibble on our flowers and veggies in our yard and I'm not out there chasing them down with knives threatening bunny stew! I'm not all anti-killing pests or anti-meat but squirrels and rabbits and the like are innocent creatures that in normal circumstances do nothing to you. If they chew on a plant, so what? You're helping them have a meal. They don't understand you planted that with the intention of them never touching it, but you're quick to kill them for it. Seems not that different from killing your dog because it peed in the house and you don't like that, but its ok so long as you eat it after.
And too, squirrel meat just isn't what most consider a good edible meat. I've tried it, but I'd never seek it out.
Buy some peanuts. Put them in a little container for them in your yard. If you want to feed the birds, why not feed the rest of your backyard wildlife as well? The culling of so called pests (grey squirrels, coyotes) hardly ever works if they still have access to food.
O_O I had two orphaned squirrels as pets when I was a kid. I can't imagine eating one.
Eating squirrel is quite common in Appalachia. You could try sauteed squirrel with gravy, BBQ squirrel (gut it, burn off the fur, and smoke it) or Cherokee squirrel with bean dumplings.
How dare you call the adorable squirrels – pests?! Just because the barbarians at the health departments and other despicable people call them that is no excuse to do it, too.
That squirrel murdering woman from Green Lake – Vorass – is the most despicable resident of Seattle. Not only she dare murder squirrels, she does it in a shockingly brutal way – by drowning them!
Anybody, who murders squirrels – for any reason – deserves only one fate – a bullet into his/her head.
Please read my online article: “The brutal monster – Melany Vorass from Green Lake, Seattle, WA – murdering squirrels!!!”
Ha! I love the cultural divide in these comments: shock/horror vs. recipes. I'd rather be a free squirrel all my life and end up in a stew than a factory caged chicken.
I agree with Emi and Sprock3t, and that woman Vorass is really sick to drown the poor squirrels, but worst is when people think that's a "humane" way to kill them. Anyhow, are these squirrels really causing a big problem in your fancy garden? do you rely on this produce to feed you or your family, do you get any income from this? Because it seems to me that a little loss is not really harming you and if you decide to kill or eat the squirrels maybe you'll start having visits from other cousin rodents like rats that might not be as "cute". Get over it it's not such a big deal. Oh and by the way do you know how diseases like AIDS, hantavirus, west nile virus and SARS start affecting humans? because of wildlife consumption. Bon apetit!