Outnumbered
08-12-2006, 08:05 AM
Sinister Squirrel Embarks on Seven-Day Reign of Terror
Saturday, August 12, 2006
It seems the residents of Winter Park, Fla., can rest easy as unspeakable evil has met its just end.
It was an unrivaled force of destruction capable of inspiring sheer terror in the hearts of the stoic. It was a sinister picnic crasher hell-bent on havoc. It was a vicious villain who seemed to take pleasure in inflicting injury on the innocent.
It was a squirrel. And it was one bad rodent.
When word spread about the demise of the squirrel in Winter Park's Central Park, more and more of its victims came forward with tales of unprovoked fury and picnics crashed.
Dylan Osborne, 19, says he couldÂ’ve ended the critterÂ’s seven-day reign of terror if authorities wouldÂ’ve heeded his call, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
He and his friends were celebrating a birthday in the park when they came face to face with the furry fiendÂ’s fury. The squirrel jumped on his friend, latched on to her leg and bit her. When they shook it off, it attacked her shoes as they lay by the fountain.
When Osborne went to swat it away, it turned on him.
"It started getting in attack position towards me," he said.
Osborne caught the critter mid-flight in a cake box and called the authorities, but after a few hours the squirrel began chewing through his impromptu cage. Even after trading the box for a bucket, they were forced to let the menace free after waiting for city workers who never came.
"I was furious," Lance Osborne, DylanÂ’s father, said. "My son basically sat on top of this squirrel on a cake box and on a bucket in downtown Winter Park, and no one did anything about it."
"Normally we don't respond to squirrels," Dil Luther, assistant manager for the animal-services division, said.
Alisa Cox and her 3-year-old son, Carson, were walking through the park when they saw a frightened woman being chased by a squirrel coming in their direction.
Before they knew it, the squirrel gave up on the lady and went medieval on CarsonÂ’s leg.
"He's just so terrified," Cox said. "He told his daddy, 'I want you to go back there and run him over with the car.'"
Authorities were eventually able to catch the squirrel with a litter trapper, but not before a failed attempt in which they tried to subdue it with pepper spray.
"All it does is fuel my fires that it's been going on for a full week," said James Klute, whose son was attacked while kicking a soccer ball in the park. "Once it happens once, someone should go out and do something."
Saturday, August 12, 2006
It seems the residents of Winter Park, Fla., can rest easy as unspeakable evil has met its just end.
It was an unrivaled force of destruction capable of inspiring sheer terror in the hearts of the stoic. It was a sinister picnic crasher hell-bent on havoc. It was a vicious villain who seemed to take pleasure in inflicting injury on the innocent.
It was a squirrel. And it was one bad rodent.
When word spread about the demise of the squirrel in Winter Park's Central Park, more and more of its victims came forward with tales of unprovoked fury and picnics crashed.
Dylan Osborne, 19, says he couldÂ’ve ended the critterÂ’s seven-day reign of terror if authorities wouldÂ’ve heeded his call, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
He and his friends were celebrating a birthday in the park when they came face to face with the furry fiendÂ’s fury. The squirrel jumped on his friend, latched on to her leg and bit her. When they shook it off, it attacked her shoes as they lay by the fountain.
When Osborne went to swat it away, it turned on him.
"It started getting in attack position towards me," he said.
Osborne caught the critter mid-flight in a cake box and called the authorities, but after a few hours the squirrel began chewing through his impromptu cage. Even after trading the box for a bucket, they were forced to let the menace free after waiting for city workers who never came.
"I was furious," Lance Osborne, DylanÂ’s father, said. "My son basically sat on top of this squirrel on a cake box and on a bucket in downtown Winter Park, and no one did anything about it."
"Normally we don't respond to squirrels," Dil Luther, assistant manager for the animal-services division, said.
Alisa Cox and her 3-year-old son, Carson, were walking through the park when they saw a frightened woman being chased by a squirrel coming in their direction.
Before they knew it, the squirrel gave up on the lady and went medieval on CarsonÂ’s leg.
"He's just so terrified," Cox said. "He told his daddy, 'I want you to go back there and run him over with the car.'"
Authorities were eventually able to catch the squirrel with a litter trapper, but not before a failed attempt in which they tried to subdue it with pepper spray.
"All it does is fuel my fires that it's been going on for a full week," said James Klute, whose son was attacked while kicking a soccer ball in the park. "Once it happens once, someone should go out and do something."