Pulaski Police Department/FacebookA police department has shared the heartwarming story of a squirrel saving the life of its injured baby by refusing to leave a passersby’s side.
The passerby, a woman called Tia Powell, was walking on a trail in Kiwanis Park in Williamsburg, Virginia, on September 20 when she noticed a squirrel was following her.
Then, the animal stood in her way on the trail, blocking her path. Realising the squirrel was not going to leave her alone, Powell followed it and discovered a baby squirrel with an injured leg.
Pulaski Police Department/FacebookAs per CBS News, the Pulaski Police Department in Virginia shared the story on their Facebook page, describing the moment Powell was ‘approached by a squirrel’.
Powell told the television station she decided to take the mama squirrel seriously when it tugged on her trouser leg, following it to the injured baby.
She explained:
I was shocked and speechless and excited because it had never happened before. I felt bad because I pushed it away the first time instead of just waiting to see. My children and I love animals, so to see it hurt and the mum couldn’t help was sad.
After moving the injured baby off the path, Powell noticed its mum still would not leave her alone and continued to follow her. ‘The baby was struggling to walk and the mum kept on going ahead and then coming back,’ she explained.
PixabayAt this point, the kindhearted woman fed the squirrels a sandwich she had with her and watched them attempt to hop up into a tree. However, she decided to call for help when she realised the baby squirrel was still struggling to get up the tree.
She called the Humane Society, and was surprised when the Pulaski Police Department arrived shortly afterwards – saying she must have sounded like a ‘crazy lady saying the squirrels wouldn’t let me leave’.
Although Powell doesn’t know how the baby got injured, she believes a nearby stray cat might have been the culprit. Because of this, the group of rescuers decided to move the squirrels to a safer area with more trees.
Pulaski Police Department/FacebookThe following week, Powell took her children to the place where she was first accosted by the squirrel, and saw two of the animals looking down at her from the trees above. She thinks they could have been the same two squirrels she rescued.
The Pulaski Police Department commended Powell – or the ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ as they called her – for trusting her instincts and helping the animals.
What an incredibly heartwarming story. Hats off to Powell for realising something was wrong and stepping in to help.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).