A wildlife enthusiast from Aberfeldy who rescued two baby red squirrels this year after their nest was blown out of a tree has released the animals into the wild.
Polly Pullar, an author and photographer who helps to rehabilitate injured animals in her spare time, was given the creatures in March by a neighbour who found them in her garden.
At the time, the fragile young animals were just a few weeks old, weighing about five ounces each. Their eyes were still shut and Polly began hand-rearing them, feeding them milk every three hours.
The squirrels were successfully released at nearby Cluny House Gardens, which has a large woodland area.
The gardens are owned by Wendy and John Mattingley and are open to the public between March and October and, thanks to their dedication and constant supply of food, they have a healthy population of red squirrels coming to feeders daily.
Red squirrels are under threat largely due to the expansion of grey squirrels, a North American species that is spreading northwards from the central belt and outwards from Aberdeen.
A nationally co-ordinated partnership project, which is led by Scottish Wildlife Trust and called Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, is under way to try to protect the species, and Tayside has its own project officer.
Another threat to red squirrels’ survival is the domestic cat. The creatures are slow on the ground and Polly has urged owners to put collars and bells on their cats to alert baby red squirrels to their presence.
She said, “The squirrels have both been seen every day and appear to be thriving. Hand-rearing wild animals is fraught with problems but it is wonderful that these babies appear to be doing so well and are in a safe place away from cats and roads.”
Image used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user gillesgonthier.