A tiny squirrel with a broken leg was found on the side of the road in the Scottish town of Ullapool.
Apparently, the animal was hit by a car or fell from a tree.
The squirrel was taken care of by a local resident, Noel Hawkins, who had experience in saving animals.
Although the volunteer of the charity organization British Divers Marine Life Rescue dealt mainly with whales and dolphins, he could not leave the animal in trouble and decided to help him.
First, Noel turned to specialists – a local veterinarian, a physiotherapist and a protein expert who advised him remotely.
In their opinion, the squirrel was not hopeless, but in the worst case, if the baby’s brain was damaged, he could forever remain dependent on a person.
Noel and his partner Janice hoped they could get the squirrel back into the wild.
They syringe-fed Ted (as they called their ward) three times a day with cat’s milk mixed with “digestive” biscuits and fruit smoothies of strawberries, apples, nuts and sunflower seeds. Such a diet was supposed to help the squirrel get stronger and gain strength.
Ted slept in a cage with a fleece hat stuffed with straw.
Since the squirrel’s paw was injured, Noel arranged for home visits from a physiotherapist.
His consultations and massage helped the animal to recover faster after the fracture.
Now Ted looks and feels better thanks to the special diet and attentive care of his rescuers.
But the squirrel’s appetite and possible neurological problems cause Noel great anxiety.
He doesn’t want to turn a beautiful wild animal into a pet and hopes to be able to release the animal into the wild next spring.
But if Ted can never live with his relatives again, Noel is ready to provide him with a permanent home. Because he and Janice have already managed to become attached to the ward, whom they so touchingly saved from certain death.
