Squirrel Hunter Causes Elementary School Lockdown

The students and faculty of a Pennsylvania elementary school had an odd disruption to their schedule Monday. The entire school needed to be put on lockdown because someone was allegedly hunting for squirrels on school property, PennLive reported.

Shrewsbury Elementary School in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania locked down as a precautionary measure because the hunter was spotted on the premises with an air rifle. A joint statement from the police and school district explained in greater detail:

"This afternoon at Shrewsbury Elementary a person carrying a weapon was spotted on school property. 911 was called, the building was put into full lockdown as a safety precaution, and the person was taken into custody. It is believed that the person was hunting squirrels and the weapon was an air rifle. We are very proud of how our students handled the situation. Please know that the safety of your children is our primary concern."

The students at Shrewsbury Elementary were reportedly never in any danger and things went back to normal after the hunter was apprehended. The hunter was apparently 18 years old, but no other details about their identity were divulged, per WGAL-8.

In case city folks do not know this, squirrel hunting is quite popular, per RealTree. The tree-climbing rodents are sought after as small game because they can be found just about anywhere. Their meat is also used in a variety of recipes and the ease of finding, hunting and skinning them supposedly makes them ideal targets for kids learning to hunt.