A man in Karlsruhe, Germany used the police emergency number to report a “scary” incident. He was being followed by a baby squirrel and couldn’t shake the little rodent off. Police did respond to the scene of the crime on Thursday morning but had no problem in diffusing the potentially “terrifying” situation. By that time, the baby squirrel was so exhausted from chasing after the man, it fell asleep on the pavement, making him easy to pick up.

Police rescue baby squirrel

The police officers soon became attached to the little squirrel gave him the name Karl-Friedrich.

A police spokesperson, Christina Krenz, quoted their report as jokingly saying they captured the wily rodent after it fell asleep due to the “horror” of the situation. Krenz said they had made the baby squirrel their mascot and that it had probably become separated from its mother. Police officers provided care for the squirrel until he was later taken to a local animal rescue centre, where he is apparently doing just fine.

As reported by The Guardian, Krenz went on to say it is not uncommon for an orphaned baby squirrel to get attached to a passerby, saying it was likely looking for a new home. When they find a potential “parent,” they latch on to them and will not leave them alone.

Krenz added that squirrels can be “very persistent.” They don’t just run behind someone – they get “entirely fixated” on that person.

She added that while the situation seems funny, the man had no idea how to get rid of the tiny squirrel and called the police. Krenz said he was definitely feeling a little threatened by the situation.

Squirrels regularly make the headlines

The latest incident with the baby squirrel isn’t the first story to make the German headlines.

The Independent reports that in July, Bonn police received a call from a man who was hearing noises coming from his basement. The homeowner feared he had an intruder inside his home. When police arrived on the scene, they soon found the noisy intruder and it turned out to be a squirrel.

That squirrel was also given a name by the police, who dubbed him David Haselnuss, which was a play on the name of David Hasselhoff, the “Baywatch” actor’s name and means hazelnut in English.

The Guardian tells another story about a daredevil squirrel in Chicago, that "attacked" a politician who had in 2016 spoken out against the rodents. Councillor Howard Brookins had called the rodents an “aggressive” menace, saying authorities spent too much money in replacing rubbish bin lids being eaten through by hungry squirrels.

Almost as if the squirrel had seen the report, the councillor was thrown off his bicycle after the squirrel ran in front of his bike and got thoroughly entangled in the spokes. Brookins said he fell with such force that he suffered a fractured skull, lost several teeth and broke his nose. Needless to say, he will continue to criticize the cute little animals.

As noted in the tweet by the Dodo below, sometimes the baby squirrels get luckier.
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