3/3/97

Right now there is only one organization dedicated to ending squirrel hazing that we endorse: HASH (Humans Against Squirrel Hazing) which was founded in February of 1997. If you are not interested in joining the HASH movement, here are a few things you can do to prevent and discourage squirrel hazing activities:

1. If you see a squirrel attempting to race your car, slow down. Since there is no challenge in racing a slow car, the squirrel judge will nullify the ritual and have the victim perform a less hazardous ritual.

2. If you are walking and see a gathering of squirrels, take this as a sign of trouble. Try to break up the group as quickly as possible without causing harm to any of the participants -- I recommend either running up to them and yelling or drenching them with a low-pressure yard sprinkler.

3. If you own a dog, keep it on a leash at all times so the squirrels won't have a reason to chase it.

4. If you own a cat, do not keep its food and water outside where squirrels can access them.

5. Do not give peanuts to squirrels. Peanuts are the raw source of *"Peanut Oil", which is a powerful intoxicant to squirrels.

6. If you feed the squirrels, only give them enough nuts to fit comfortably in their cheek pouches. Many times humans unknowingly contribute to squirrel hazing by providing the extra nuts used in the cheek stuffing ritual.

*"Peanut Oil" abuse has been linked to 75% of all squirrel hazing deaths.