Remember that RSPCA figures for 2009 show that they killed 63,321 animals - an increase of over 3000 on 2008!
When a bird lover managed to trap one of the grey squirrels raiding his nut feeders, he decided that drowning would be the most humane way to dispose of it.
What happened next landed Raymond Elliott with a bill for £1,500 and, even worse, a criminal record.
A neighbour tipped off the RSPCA that he had submerged the animal in a water butt.
Mr Elliott, a 58-year-old window cleaner, insisted that the squirrel died 'almost instantaneously'.
However a vet said the process would have taken three minutes, so Mr Elliott was taken to court accused of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
The landmark case sets an important precedent for killing grey squirrels, which are classified as a non-native invasive species, and could pave the way for hundreds of other prosecutions across the country.
The RSPCA warned that many common methods of killing grey squirrels and other pests could now fall foul of the law, and said the only humane way to dispatch them would be to take them to a vet for a lethal injection - at a cost of up to £70.
Mr Elliott, from Branston, Staffordshire, was prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
After pleading guilty at Burton Magistrates' Court, he was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,547 to cover RSPCA costs.
'This is an injustice,' he said yesterday.
'People do it across the country all the time - they are just making an example of me. I do not feel what I did was inhumane or cruel.'
Doug Walton, defending, described Mr Elliott as a man of good character. He added: 'The drowning of squirrels and rats is a widespread practice, so what are the alternatives for these people?
'Realistically, I can't see many opting to take the creatures to the vets to pay to have them euthanised.'
John Sutcliffe, prosecuting, said the case was the first to be brought under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in respect of a non-domestic animal.
He said that Mr Elliott was 'extremely open and frank' about what he had done and 'believed it was the most humane way of disposing of the animal'.
He also warned that official advice - that squirrels should be caught in a sack and killed with a single blow to the head - could be a breach of the act as the animal could suffer before it dies.
An RSPCA spokesman said: 'Drowning grey squirrels causes unnecessary suffering, as this case demonstrates.
'Realistically the only humane method would be to take the squirrel along to vet, as you would with a pet.'
Tim Bonner, a spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, said the RSPCA was using the courts to push its policy on animal rights.
'Killing grey squirrels is a good thing - there are far too many of them and they threaten our native species and woodland,' he said.
'It is absolutely ridiculous that the RSPCA has spent thousands dragging this man through the courts when he was clearly unaware of the law.
'They are using the courts as a propaganda vehicle.'
Carri Nicholson, project manager for Save Our Squirrels, said: 'I feel very sorry for this man being prosecuted as most people don't know the law and it's not always clear what they should do.
'I would advise people to check with their local wildlife trust and ask advice on the best way to kill a squirrel.
'I would not recommend taking the animals to the vet to be put down as we have had advice that transporting animals to vets can cause unnecessary suffering and would therefore not be in keeping with the act.
'It is also prohibitively expensive and can cost up to £70.'
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