Today’s Top Story: Flying squirrel caught in deportation fight
Ottawa has issued an unusual deportation order, demanding that an unwelcome squirrel be sent home. In its defence, the tiny rodent has a lawyer, a legal defence fund and its local MP all working on its behalf.
Sabrina the flying squirrel came to Canada with an Ontario naturalist (Patterson) three months ago… and was just settling in when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency called.
…the federal regulator wanted her gone. The force of their conviction became clear the following day when Patterson received a formal notice that he had to drive the squirrel to the U.S. border.
Horrified by the prospect of relinquishing an animal he had by then bonded with — like a mother to its child, he said — he refused.
When CFIA officials arrived at his door with police backup a few weeks later, Patterson wasn’t home.
… and it keeps going from there. They went to court, won the case and the lawyer was quoted as saying “Squirrel one, Canada nothing!” Now the government is appealing.
How can this be a Top Story. They say my life is boring.