U.K. Plans To Trick Squirrels With Contraceptive-Laced Nutella

The U.K. has a problem with too many gray squirrels, and they've decided to start fighting off the invasive species by tricking them with contraceptive-laced Nutella.

According to The Independent, red squirrels are native to the U.K., but in the 1870s gray squirrels were introduced from North America. Gray squirrels are much bigger than red squirrels, and as they grew in number they started to threaten the red squirrels, which were not very well equipped to compete with the bigger North American squirrels for food. The gray squirrels can also carry a virus that does not bother gray squirrels but that can kill red squirrels. So to protect the native red squirrels, the U.K. has decided to start baiting gray squirrels with contraceptive-laced Nutella.

Giving the squirrels birth control is estimated to be an effective way at reducing the gray squirrel population, and tests indicate that gray squirrels really like the Nutella chocolate and hazelnut spread.

The plan will involve putting the Nutella and contraceptives in boxes with doors that are too heavy for red squirrels to open, so only the gray squirrels can get at it. Perhaps they should check out some of our best Nutella recipes for some more ways to lure squirrels into their traps.