Thursday, October 25, 2007
Fat squirrel gets stuck in bird feeder
A squirrel had to be rescued from a bird feeder after it had eaten so many nuts it could no longer squeeze through the bars, the RSPCA said today.
RSPCA inspector Graham Hammond was called in by a resident in Christchurch, Dorset, on October 17 after they found the animal stuck in the peanut-filled bird feeder.
Mr Hammond said that the squirrel had managed to climb into the wire-frame feeder but had lost its svelte figure after gorging itself on the nuts inside.
Inspector Hammond said: "This was quite an unusual rescue.
"I think this squirrel had eyes bigger than its stomach but after it had stuffed itself with nuts, it had a stomach too large to escape the feeder - one which ironically, was designed to be squirrel proof."
Mr Hammond said he was able to free the grey squirrel, which was unharmed and ran off immediately.
RSPCA inspector Graham Hammond was called in by a resident in Christchurch, Dorset, on October 17 after they found the animal stuck in the peanut-filled bird feeder.
Mr Hammond said that the squirrel had managed to climb into the wire-frame feeder but had lost its svelte figure after gorging itself on the nuts inside.
Inspector Hammond said: "This was quite an unusual rescue.
"I think this squirrel had eyes bigger than its stomach but after it had stuffed itself with nuts, it had a stomach too large to escape the feeder - one which ironically, was designed to be squirrel proof."
Mr Hammond said he was able to free the grey squirrel, which was unharmed and ran off immediately.
'Oldest' elephant is a grouchy old woman
Carers of Vatsala, an elephant in her nineties, say she is a real grumpy old woman.
She's got no teeth, dotes on youngsters but gets grouchy when her arthritis flares up.
'She is just like a pensioner,' says Sanjeev Gupta of the Panna Tiger Reserve in India, where Vatsala lives.
'She is kind with the calves but is the first to give them a ticking off when they over-step the mark.'
The gentle giant came to the Madhya Pradesh sanctuary in 1971. She had already lost her teeth by then – meaning she was at least 50.
Her carers want to prove she is older than an 86-year-old elephant which holds the world record. Vatsala lives out her retirement being pampered, eating chopped grass and bamboo.
But, like most grandmothers, she's got a sweet tooth and loves sugar cane juice most.
Mr Gupta added: 'Vatsala is given extra respect. She always gets her own way.'
She's got no teeth, dotes on youngsters but gets grouchy when her arthritis flares up.
'She is just like a pensioner,' says Sanjeev Gupta of the Panna Tiger Reserve in India, where Vatsala lives.
'She is kind with the calves but is the first to give them a ticking off when they over-step the mark.'
The gentle giant came to the Madhya Pradesh sanctuary in 1971. She had already lost her teeth by then – meaning she was at least 50.
Her carers want to prove she is older than an 86-year-old elephant which holds the world record. Vatsala lives out her retirement being pampered, eating chopped grass and bamboo.
But, like most grandmothers, she's got a sweet tooth and loves sugar cane juice most.
Mr Gupta added: 'Vatsala is given extra respect. She always gets her own way.'
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