Three squirrels were captured by authorities after up to six people reported being attacked by squirrels in the Lake Vista neighborhood of New Orleans.
Reports of the attacks were collected by WWL, local TV station. One attack was captured on camera by the victim.
The three rodents were captured by the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control after it set up traps on Wednesday, Sept. 13, near St. Pius Catholic Church, where two women were attacked after a Sunday mass.
Ivan Horner captured video of a squirrel tailing and then attacking him and his 90-year-old mother on Sunday.
“It didn’t seem like it was crazy or rabid or anything. It just walked real slowly and it followed us like dogs or cats do down the lane,” he told the TV station.
On Wednesday night, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu stated on Twitter that three suspects were apprehended. “We put our best team on the case,” he said.
The squirrels may have become too brash after getting used to people feeding them, according to Claudia Riegel of the Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board.
Even though rabies are rare in squirrels, the agency still deemed it prudent to test them. “I think it’s important since this was an unprovoked attack to collect some of those squirrels and send them in for testing,” Riegel said.
It is not clear if the culprit (or culprits) of the attacks were indeed among the detainees.
This has been hardly the first squirrel assault streak on record. Earlier this year a squirrel attacked at least five in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Last year a squirrel injured three at a Florida senior home, and the year before eight fell victim to a squirrel in California.
