Squirrels are not safe at Mississippi State. We all remember the infamous blackout last semester when, during a baseball game, a squirrel was vaporized by a live wire. Do you remember laughing about it? It did seem off-the-wall at the time.
Students are not laughing about a recent incident of squirrel death. In fact, students were infuriated when they witnessed the deaths of two baby squirrels in the Giles Auditorium.
So why isn’t this incident as humorous? The two infant squirrels were bludgeoned to death by physical plant workers.
The enormity of watching a squirrel getting tossed around and beaten with molding really brought it home for people.
One has to wonder why the physical plant workers chose to dispose of the squirrels in such a violent manner. The only plausible reason would be if the workers believed there was a health or safety concern with the squirrels. However, there are humane ways of catching small rodents, such as those used for rats and mice. If a student can catch one in a plastic trap and let it go free, then couldn’t they deal with the pests using similar means?
One also has to wonder why the physical plant workers were involved in the first place. The director of the physical plant admitted that it was not the workers’ responsibility. After all, doesn’t MSU have a veterinarian school? The vet school has been known to care for various animals around campus, including the white dog Casper that prowled the drill field for months. The vet school or the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries would have been the most logical groups to turn to in this instance.
When the workers said “they were going to knock them in the head,” no one suspected they were about to witness a violent killing. The workers went too far against the squirrels. The only way to turn this tragedy around is to be aware of animal cruelty and make this campus a safer place for all animals.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Angela Adair, news editor Elizabeth Crisp, assistant news editor Jessica Bowers, sports editor Craig Peters, entertainment editor Dustin Barnes, managing editor Pam McTeer and editor in chief Josh Foreman.