An Alabama man accused of drug possession allegedly fed methamphetamine to a caged squirrel in order to keep it aggressive, police said.
Limestone County sheriff’s deputies seized the so-called attack squirrel on Monday when they served a search warrant at a home in Athens. In addition to the squirrel, officers retrieved meth, drug paraphernalia, ammunition and body armor from the premises, according to the Limestone County News Courier.
Police arrested 37-year-old Ronnie Reynolds on drug charges. But investigators are still looking for the man who they said actually lives in the apartment, 35-year-old Mickey Paulk, according to AL.com.
Animal control officials who came to the apartment contacted the Alabama Game and Fish Division of the Department of Conservation to figure out what do with the squirrel.
Turns out it’s illegal to have a pet squirrel in Alabama, and the Game and Fish officials advised releasing the animal into the wild, according to local station WHNT-TV. Deputies later freed the squirrel, the News Courier reported.
Whether the squirrel was actually fed meth may remain a mystery. Sheriff’s office spokesman Stephen Young told reporters there wasn’t a safe way to test the animal for drugs.
Anyone with information about Paulk’s whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 256-232-0111.
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