poo to a kill
Jeremy Paxman defends shooting ‘menace’ squirrels with an air rifle while sitting on TOILET
JEREMY Paxman has defended his bizarre habit of shooting squirrels with an air rifle while sitting on his toilet.
The broadcasting legend, 70, who lives in Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, branded the rodents a "menace" that scare off songbirds and "kill all sorts of things."
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He shrugged off the suggestion that he was being "cruel," and instead responded that "they're annoying me."
Speaking to comedian Richard Herring, the 70-year-old said: "You turn around - not while I'm having a c**p of course - just sitting on the loo if it's by the window.
“You sit on the loo with the lid down. With an air rifle you can pop, pop off a squirrel or two.”
The former Newsnight host and University Challenge presenter - renowned for his ferocious interviewing technique - said he saw nothing wrong with targeting squirrels.
Paxman said: “Why is it cruel? They’re annoying me.
“They’re always getting on the bird feeder.
“I love song birds and I can’t stand the fact that squirrels are always driving them off.
“They kill all sorts of things. For example they kill trees - entire trees are killed by squirrels.
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“They’re a menace.”
Mr Paxman first revealed his bizarre habit of opening fire on squirrels while on the loo in his 2016 memoir, A Life In Questions.
Grey squirrels are allowed to be culled in Britain by shooting - so long as it is done in a humane way.
They originally came from America in the late 19th century and became the dominant squirrel in the UK, meaning reds are now a protected species.
But grey squirrels can cause serious problems for foresters, native wildlife and gamekeepers.
In spring, they ravage eggs and young chicks - which can be devastating for songbird and ground-nesting bird populations.
The creatures also strip bark from tree trunks during the months of May and June, damaging stands of timber and natural woodland.
Damage to hoppers, feed bins and water pipes by grey squirrels can cause serious and costly shoot management problems.
Is it illegal to shoot grey squirrels?
Since their introduction into Britain in the 1870s, grey squirrels have spread rapidly. They have displaced the red squirrel throughout most of England and Wales and in south-east and central Scotland.
Grey squirrels can cause serious problems for foresters, native wildlife and gamekeepers.
The grey squirrel is also a significant factor in the decline of the native red squirrel population in the UK. Greys can carry the squirrel pox virus.
Grey squirrels have limited legal protection and can be controlled all year round by a variety of methods including shooting and trapping.
Under the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 any person responsible for a squirrel trap would only be responsible for any animal caught by it, not its offspring still in the wild. Under the act, it is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to a kept animal.
Shooting of grey squirrels can be a very effective method of control, especially in early spring when young shoots are showing in trees.
A shotgun or powerful air rifle would be suitable for this form of control but remember, as with all shooting, assess your background before taking any shot.
Grey squirrels have limited legal protection and can be controlled all year round by a variety of methods including shooting and trapping.
And shooting is a very effective method of control - especially in early spring when young shoots are showing in trees.
Meanwhile, in South Africa, three sex-mad squirrels were caught in a clinch on a fallen tree branch.
Snapper Max Waugh spotted them on safari and reckoned two were male, one female, but was unsure of the order they lined up.
Max, 44, of Seattle, US, said: “It was completely unexpected, and obviously appeals to one’s more juvenile sense of humour.
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“More seriously, I am always excited to capture rare and unexpected animal behaviour. This certainly qualifies.
"I believe the only time I’ve witnessed something similar in the animal kingdom involved multiple male sea turtles trying to attach themselves to a female in the Galapagos Islands. ”
Jeremy Paxman's greatest moment
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