Pensioner Uses Air Rifle to Kill Squirrel, Ends Up in Court

As previously reported, January 21 marks Squirrel Appreciation Day. Those who plan on celebrating this rather peculiar holiday will probably be glad to hear that people in the United Kingdom take the idea of protecting these animals quite seriously.

Hence their filing legal charges against a 75-year-old man from Bredbury, Cheshire, who recently used an air rifle to kill one such animal. Apparently, Bill Worthington is not in the least fond of squirrels, and refers to them as “garden rats.”

Despite the fact that killing these animals is legal, provided that they turn out to be more of a pest and not the fuzzy creatures everybody thinks they are, this does not change the fact that causing them unnecessary suffering goes against the law.

Interestingly enough, Bill Worthington pleaded guilty to the accusations. However, he simply cannot wrap his head around the idea that he ended up in court because of a squirrel.

“I cannot believe I've been taken to court - we're talking about one squirrel here,” he stated.