WILD?

Kibbles the "wild" squirrel

Last night a particularly bad guy got his cumuppence by lethal injection here in Virginie. He killed a bunch of people and would have killed more if he hadn't been stopped. I'd say he got what he deserved.

Here in Virginia it's illegal to have a house squirrel--a pet (not that any squirrel is a pet like a dog or a cat is a pet.) If the squirrel police came to my door and saw my little Kibbles curled up in the hood of my coat, she would be taken away and euthanized--or given to a stranger to be turned lose in the much feared great outdoors. She wouldn't even get a trial. She would just be taken away and disposed of. It wouldn't matter that she spends her days playing with her teddy bears (formerly MY teddy bears). There would be no consideration for the fact that she would have been released had she shown any proclivity towards her "wild" side. Apparently Kibbles' best interests would be determined by "the rules" without regard to the words "best" or "interests." No common sense would intervene on behalf of a gentle little squirrel who has been cared for since she was a couple of days old with HER health and well being in mind, and who is as much a part of this family as is Tyson, the family cat.

So define the term "wild." Certainly the offed murderer qualifies as a "wild" animal. But Kibbles just doesn't seem to fit into the same category.