A squirrel exemplifies the spirit of wanderlust when it left its rodent family in India to end up on a boat that traveled overseas to Scotland.
Scottish animal rescuers took the squirrel under their care. The North East Wildlife & Animal Rescue Center, also known as the NEW ARC, noted that Pest Solutions in Aberdeen reached out to them after a group of crew members stumbled upon a squirrel on the boat.
“They looked after him and were feeding him grapes to keep him well after they took him into custody,” NEW ARC rescuer Keith Marley said. “I believe he had been spotted before then but he is faster than a fast thing so he took a bit of effort to catch.”
This squirrel crashed the cruise journey and explored a new reality by riding the waves. All new beginnings kick off with discomfort and uncertainty. Marley said: “He is doing well. He was a bit tired and panicked when he first came in and stressed, but he had a good feed and seems to be behaving very much as a squirrel normally would.”
The squirrel, now named Zippy, was found by the crew of the Deep Explorer three days before the end of their three-week trip.
Zippy is being kept in quarantine until an animal specialist can provide a permanent home.
There is no return trip home as Zippy will build a new life in Scotland. Marley concluded: “In an ideal world we would like to return him home but it’s unlikely we will be able to return him to India. We will be checking zoos to see if anyone has this variety of squirrel in their collection in the hope that we can donate him so he can live out his life with his own kind and will hopefully have a comfortable life.”
Source: https://www.facebook.com/thenewarc.org/posts/438733131628238