Baby red squirrels being cared for by Scottish charity

September 2011. Two baby squirrels have been rescued by the Scottish SPCA after being found huddled together on the ground at a Scottish Highlands holiday home. Acorn, male, and Hazel, female, were discovered in a carport by residents at a cottage in Nethy Bridge, Speyside, in August.

Scotland's Animal Welfare Charity was called to rescue the brother and sister who had become separated from their mother.

Senior Inspector Gill MacGregor said, "I advised the caller to leave the squirrels for an hour just to give mum a chance to find them. As they were found in a carport it's unlikely that mum dropped the pair whilst moving them so we can only imagine that they crawled in there themselves. Sadly we were unable to reunite them with their mother so I took them to our Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fife where they have been thriving ever since."

Wildlife Assistant Krystal Aitchison said, "Acorn and Hazel are doing really well and are becoming stronger and fitter every day as they enjoy exploring their outdoor aviary. We think this is the first time we have had squirrel siblings come into our care at the same time, normally we find one orphaned or abandoned, but this pair have decided to stick with each other.

"We will be aiming to release them back into the wild together once they are fully fit and able to fend for themselves."

Anyone wishing to report an injured or distressed animal should call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.