[PhasmaFelis]

I once put my hand around an urban squirrel's tail. Could have held it if I'd squeezed a bit. It was sitting on a wall munching some garbage, and I just walked straight up to it. Have you ever seen a squirrel do a double-take?

I guess my point is that even slippery little animals aren't as uncatchable as one would expect, if you can take them by surprise.

[JackFr]

That seems like step one of a plan to get rabies.

[ghshephard]

According to the CDC, squirrels are almost never a source of rabies. http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/pets/ - that is, unless they are acting in an unusual manner, such as letting people walk up to them and grab them....

[PhasmaFelis]

It was a campus squirrel. They're generally used to people walking by within a few feet. This was just a little slow to shift gears, apparently.