Settling Down
Dani Connor is a trained wildlife photographer and a zoology graduate from the UK. She's also a member of the London Wildlife Trust Forum and a judge for the Young Bird Photographer of the Year.
In early 2020, Dani decided to move to a small rural town in Northern Sweden in a region full of dense forests with unique species. Only three months after settling down, she got herself in a fascinating adventure.
A Red Squirrel Named Remy
It all began when Connor grew fond of a female red squirrel that she found in a forest near her home. It was the first red squirrel she had ever seen, and so she tested her photography setups by taking some pictures of her.
"I named her Remy as her face reminded me of the rat from Ratatouille", Dani told Bored Panda. And guess what? When Dani headed to the forest the following day, there was Remy, almost as if she were waiting to have another picture taken!
The Accident
Sadly, Remy was killed after being run over by a car two weeks later. > "“I was devastated, not only was she my favorite squirrel but somewhere in the forest, she had a drain full of kits, or baby squirrels", Dani said.
Dani knew that Remy's babies were out there somewhere, so she set forth on finding and looking after them. She was well aware that it would be a nearly impossible mission, but she wasn't planning on giving up that easily.
There They Were!
Less than a week had passed ever since Remy's accident, when the unbelievable happened. Suddenly, Dani heard something hopping in the grass. Can you guess what it was? That's right, it was Remy's babies!
Dani couldn't believe how lucky she was to have found them. First, she waited nearly seven hours in the forest to see whether any adults would climb up the tree. After all, maybe they were being taken care of by another squirrel! However, the babies were alone, so Dani knew she had to act fast.
Too Young To Fend For Themselves
The first thing she did was contact a few wildlife sanctuaries to ask for some advice. All of the experts she spoke to told her that the squirrels were too young to survive on their own.
Dani was told that squirrels become independent from their mothers when they're 10 to 12 weeks old, but these little fellas were only 7 weeks old. Dani realized that the babies' survival lay in her hands. But was she up for the challenge?
Winning Over Their Trust
Dani knew that she would have no option but to slowly win over the babies' trust. The first thing she did was leave a bit of food next to the tree trunk where they slept. It wasn't long before she discovered that the babies could eat on their own.
> "“I watched over the baby squirrels and I was so happy to see them eating the food I had left them, I decided that if they have teeth and that they can eat, they should be able to survive in the wild", Dani said.
Temporary Mother
At first, the squirrels were extremely nervous, as they probably saw Dani as a huge, unusual and threatening creature. However, it wasn't long before they got used to her presence. I guess she won them over with the peanuts and sunflower seeds!
So before she knew it, Dani became the temporary mother of these four beautiful red squirrels. She would spend from 4 to 6 hours with them each day and make sure they had enough food and water, but not without taking a few photos on the way!
They Recognized Her Voice
Dani would head to the forest around noon while they were still sleeping, and guess what? The squirrels learned to recognize her voice and they would come racing down the tree as soon as they heard her calls.
> "I shout ‘baby squirrels’ when I walk into the forest and they come down. I feed them sunflower seeds, peanuts, apple, and pear and give them plenty of water. After a few hours with them, they usually go back up the tree to sleep", Dani explained.
Adult Friends
But not only did Dani win over the babies' trust. Believe it or not, other adult squirrels grew fond of her too! As crazy as it sounds, some food was all it took for Dani to make so many squirrel friends!
Dani eventually began taking pictures of the other adult squirrels as well. Here's a fascinating picture featuring one of these adults jumping high in the air. She sure knows how to handle a camera!
The Pear-Eater
Not only did Dani make friends with other adult squirrels, but with other babies too! Here's a picture of one of these babies gnawing at a pear. I can't help but notice that the tiny pear is nearly half its size!
She also met a young female squirrel that was even smaller than Remy's babies. She had a blonde face and would play with Remy's babies, but do you know what the funniest part is? Dani created a Twitter thread for people to pick a name of her. But one day, Dani came up with an even brighter idea.
A Witty Idea
Dani was in the middle of one of her daily afternoon photoshoots, when an idea suddenly struck her. She had already taken hundreds of pictures of the red squirrels devouring the food, but what if she recorded them while they ate?
So one day, just as she brought Remy's babies their daily mail, she cautiously placed her microphone right next to one of the squirrels. When she played the video back home, she couldn't believe what she heard.
The Most Anticipated Interview
As Dani played the footage, she realized that the baby red squirrel made all sorts of adorable sounds as she munched the sunflower seeds. He would make all sorts of screeching noises that sounded like that of a bird singing.
Obviously, the video went viral in a matter of days and it reached over 12 million views. One of the users wittily claimed: "This looks so much like a news interview". And indeed it did!
She's Optimistic
Even though Remy's babies grew used to being fed each day, Dani was convinced they would soon grow up to be healthy and self-dependent creatures. In her opinion, they would probably learn to fetch their own food after their second month.
"hey will learn to live on their own. Squirrels are highly adaptable animals. I have already seen them cache food and no one has taught them this behavior – they learn from instinct, trial, and error", Dani said.
Safe Environment
Many fans were worried that taming the squirrels for so long would maybe cause problems in the future. What if Dani's help discouraged them from learning how to fend for themselves?
Here's what Dani commented on the issue: "If I lived in a town or city, then yes. But I live in a village in North Sweden where there are about15 residents that are mostly 65+. Additionally the woodland is private land". In her view, the only real human threat they face is being injured by a timber truck on the road.
A Touching Story
We should all be thankful to Dani, as this touching story has left us not only with amazing photographs, but also with an incredible video that we just can't stop watching!
These baby red squirrels had a rough start, but life works in mysterious ways, as they ended up with the most unexpected foster mom they could've ever asked for! In a world full of terrible news, this heartwarming story definitely helps bring a bit of joy into our lives!