A CRAZED bloodthirsty squirrel has residents on edge after chomping on nature-lovers enjoying a morning stroll.
The hidden critter launches itself – ninja-style – from “nowhere” to clamp on to faces and legs before ferociously clawing and biting its victims.
The deranged rodent attacked Isabel Campoy who tried to defend her face[/caption]
Residents have been warned to be on the alert for the crazed beast[/caption]
Residents said the sudden attacks from the fearless critter are ‘no joke’[/caption]
Nervous locals in Lucas Valley in San Rafael, California, insist the attacks are “not a joke.”
They’ve even put up posters warning of an “attack squirrel, beware!”
The unhinged squirrel has already drawn blood from at least five unsuspecting passerby, reported ABC News on Monday.
One victim, Joan Heblack, said, “It clamped onto my leg and it was just hanging on.
“The tail was flying up here. I was like, ‘get off me, get off me!’ I didn’t want to touch it.
“It came out of nowhere. I didn’t see him running up to me at all.”
Some victims – including Heblack – have had to seek medical help in ER after being left covered in bleeding bite and claw marks.
Common health threats linked to squirrels include leptospirosis and salmonella, warn wildlife experts.
Heblack said the clawing and biting “was very scary.”
“And how do you get a squirrel – which is attached to your leg – off?”
Another victim, Isabel Campoy, claimed the bloodthirsty beast “nearly killed me.”
She and her niece, Carmen Campoy, have both suffered frightening strikes.
Isabel told of the squirrel leaping down “on to the floor” before it suddenly “tried to jump up to my face.”
Showing a series of deep wounds on her right arm, she added, “I tried to protect my face, my arm was completely overcome by squirrel.
“Finally it jumped off, by then I was full of blood, I run to the emergency room.
“It hurts to touch the skin. I am putting my best power and mind in order to say I’ll survive this.”
Do squirrels eat meat?
What happens if a squirrel can’t find enough nuts to feast on? A study revealed a surprise…
Squirrels have developed a taste for meat, according to shocking footage from researchers.
The rodent was spotted by stunned scientists hunting and feeding on voles.
Ground squirrels are considered a granivorous species, eating seeds and grains.
But it turns out they’re more of an opportunistic omnivore with flexible diets that includes other eating animals.
During an observation in California last year, squirrels were seen chomping on voles.
And it wasn’t just a one-off either – out of 74 tracked by scientists between June and July 2024, four in ten were spotted actively hunting.
“This was shocking,” admitted lead author Jennifer E. Smith, associate professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
“We had never seen this behaviour before.”
Posters alerting residents of the feral animal say, “This is not a joke, more than five people have been attacked.”
Locals are adamant that just one squirrel – with a goldish color – which is launching itself at humans.
Joan Heblack was also left bleeding during a morning walk through Lucas Valley in San Rafael, California[/caption]
At least five residents have been left bleeding – with some seeking medical help[/caption]
One person assumed on social media, “To be so fearless and aggressive with people, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was originally someone’s pet and maybe seeking food.”
Another commented, “I’m sorry for the injured people, but that is hilariously funny, I can’t not laugh.”
TERRITORIAL
Vanessa Potter, from WildCare in San Rafael, told ABC that such attacks are not uncommon.
The center’s volunteers tend to stricken animals which have been rescued, before later releasing them back in to the wild.
Potter said squirrels are not vectors for rabies. It’s rare for squirrels to carry rabies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The scary attacks could stem from the squirrel being fed by people when it was younger, she suggested.
“If they associate people with food, they’re not afraid of them.
“They will look for food. If they don’t get it, there can be frustrations. They can be territorial of their space,” Potter said.
NO DATA
The CDC does not keep data on the frequency of squirrel-on-human attacks, reported The Atlantic in 2017.
The publication said while there is “no evidence of killer squirrels on the CDC’s books,” anecdotal evidence suggest they “do rumble with humans from time to time.”
Last year, The U.S. Sun reported that a couple were fined $615 for feeding a hungry squirrel in their own backyard.
A number of squirrels in a California park were seen hunting voles[/caption]
