Celebrity Squirrels Part 3

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Pet Squirrel – A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling, by Hans Holbein the Younger

This adorable squirrel pet was immortalized by Hans Holbein the Younger in around 1526-8. It is wearing a little silver chain and eating a nut, with a starling in the tree in the background. It is thought to be a portrait of Anne Lovell, whose coat of arms depicts squirrels. Squirrels were popular pets in England as early as the 14th Century, according to the National Gallery in London where this picture now hangs.

Loyal Squirrel

Do you remember the footage of this brave squirrel when it hit the headlines? Loyal Squirrel refuses to leave his buddy behind, even after his demise. As the scavenging crows close in on the body, Loyal Squirrel shows courage on the field of battle, seeing them off one at a time as they approach his friend. Notice how he fluffs up his tail and twitches it around to try and frighten the birds away. We give him top marks for bravery, even if it was all a bit pointless in the end. Band Of Brothers.

Mission Impossible Squirrel

There was a world wide crazy for constructing squirrel assault courses some years ago, with homemade contraptions being rigged up in back garden all over the place, in a race to see who could find the most epic squirrel problem solver. All good fun, and we like to encourage squirrel feeding! First prize, in most people’s estimation was awarded to  Mission Impossible Squirrel, who made short work of his challenge. It is thought that the higher nutritional content of the peanuts at the end of the assault courses make it worth the effort and brainpower needed to reach them. Squirrels certainly are a brainy bunch. Why not get out into your garden this weekend and make your squirrels’ lives a little more rewarding?

Celebrity Squirrels Part 2

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Flying Squirrel – Rocky

Rocket J. Squirrel, known to the world as Rocky was a TV favourite in the 60’s along with his sidekick, Bullwinkle the Moose. Supposedly the brains of the outfit, Rocky was still unable to spot Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale’s disguises. Unusually, for a squirrel, Rocky could fly, under jet steam. Real flying squirrels, native to North America, don’t fly so much as glide. They have furry webbed arms, which they extend to slow their decent as they leap from tree to tree. Hokey Smoke!

Water Skiing Squirrel – Twiggy

Do you remember this water baby? It’s Twiggy, the water skiing squirrel, who was trained by Chuck and Lou Best, from Deltona, Florida. After Hurricane David they came across an orphaned squirrel, which they hand reared as a pet. Twiggy would want to sit on their shoulders all the time, even if they got into the pool, or went water skiing. Sometimes Twiggy would hop off into the water if the weather was hot.

One day Chuck bought a remote controlled boat for his daughter. When someone joked he’d really bought it for himself, Chuck replied “I’ve got to learn how to use the controls so I can teach my squirrel to water ski!” And that’s just what he did. Twiggy was soon world famous for his cruise around the water and, although she was periodically replaced over the years with replica Twiggies, the act toured the States. Twiggy teaches children about water safety and always wears her own little squirrel-sized life jacket. She has appeared in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and in the made-for-tv movie Down to Earth. What a superstar!

 

Celebrity Squirrels Part 1

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This winter, spare a thought for your furry-coated friends who hang out in the garden. Winter is tough for squirrels. Unlike us, they can’t just take a cruise to the tropics when everything freezes over. They can easily starve if the corn, seeds and nuts run out. Try and make sure you put some food out for them during the winter months, in the form of corn, peanuts or seeds. Peanuts are particularly welcome for squirrels, as they are high in life-sustaining calories. People all over the world love their squirrel friends, and for all you squirrel fans, here’s a list of our top favorite celebrity squirrels.

Photo-crasher Squirrel

Who could get bored of looking at this cute little guy, who crashed Melissa Brandts photo she had set up with her husband on the shore of Lake Minnewanka. In a beautiful setting in the Canadian Banff National Park, Photo-crashing Squirrel went viral when he was entered into the National Geographic’s ‘Photo Of The Day’ competition. Perfect timing!