Were squirrels attacking people in this part of Pierce County last week?
At least one person took to Reddit over the weekend, claiming they were attacked unprovoked by a squirrel in the Browns Point area of Pierce County.
After reaching out to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, The News Tribune found that five squirrels were “lethally removed” with a firearm on Friday after “exhibiting behavior indicating they had become habituated to people.”
A commenter on Tacoma’s Reddit thread claimed a squirrel came out of nowhere while they were near their car in a Browns Point neighborhood. The commenter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The News Tribune on Monday.
“I felt one run up my back onto my head. I tried shaking and swatting it off, that’s when it jump[ed] onto my arm and bit down on my hand really hard. It held there for a minute before I could get it off. Had to kick it in the face a few times before it finally ran away,” they posted on Friday. “Some friends in the local FB group told me there were other squirrel attacks in the same area.”
Since Browns Point is outside Tacoma in unincorporated Pierce County, The News Tribune called the Sheriff’s Office, which has an animal control department. Spokesperson Carly Cappetto said Monday that the department had received two emails about aggressive squirrels at Browns Point late last week. In one case a person was “crouching down to feed the squirrel, and then the squirrel jumped on them and bit them,” Cappetto said.
The case was referred to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, as are all cases that involve wild animals, she said. The county’s animal control department only deals with cases involving domesticated or exotic animals, Cappetto said.
Bridget Mire, with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, told The News Tribune via email on Monday that on Friday the department received one report that a Tacoma resident was bitten by a squirrel, and they received medical treatment.
“In Washington, only bats are known to carry the rabies virus,” Mire said. “WDFW enforcement officers responded to the scene and lethally removed five squirrels exhibiting behavior indicating they had become habituated to people.”
Mire said WDFW generally discourages people from feeding wildlife, “because it can cause unnatural wildlife behaviors and potentially increase human-wildlife conflict.”
Feeding wild animals causes them to lose their natural fear of humans, which can make them aggressive or vulnerable to harm, Mire said. Some wildlife can’t properly digest human-provided food and can become sick or die, she said. Some animals carry diseases that can be transmissible to humans and pets, and animals might cross busy roads to get human food sources, Mire said.
“In some instances, wildlife feeding is against the law. Feeding deer, elk, moose and large carnivores is illegal in Washington due to concerns about wildlife disease transmission and/or human-wildlife conflict,” Mire said. “WDFW also urges people not to feed feral or stray cats, and to pick up outdoor pet food when not feeding their pets. Pet food often attracts wildlife, including carnivores.”
Cappetto said if anyone is bitten by an animal like a squirrel, they should call WDFW to report it.
