This is the last known image of Jack the Ripper, who is Number One on our Most Unwanted List.
It was taken several years ago, during one of his most daring thefts. He mysteriously disappeared after that – until last week. His technique is to slip up to the house during the day, before the mobile bird feeders are taken in for the night.
He looks around to make sure he’s unseen and slowly moves under a feeder. He stands on tippy-toes to get one or two claws on it; then, he quickly pulls it straight down, using his strong front legs and his hundreds of pounds of weight. The feeder wire, cap, and internal structure are ripped out of the feeder, which Jack tips into his mouth to “drink” from.
We caught him in the act last week and banged on a window. He immediately darted 30 feet away and stopped as if he forgot something. He then spun around, darted back toward us, and stopped suddenly over the grounded feeder. Then, he picked the feeder up in his mouth and raced off. We didn’t have a camera handy and we haven’t found the expensive feeder. (Brooklin, Maine)