Rescued squirrels turn two years old

KONYA

Two baby squirrels that were rescued last minute after being noticed by an employee at a timber factory in the Central Anatolian province of Konya who was about to cut a tree log they sat on have turned two.

The squirrels, named Fındık and Duman, last year were noticed at the timber factory in Selçuklu district where workers were cutting tree logs.

But the worker soon noticed the squirrels, rescuing them and delivering them to the Karatay Municipality Zoo. 

The zoo’s vet, Fatih Mehmet Altay, said Fındık and Duman were almost going to die of hunger when they were rushed to the zoo because they were stranded for a long time in the tree log. 

Their chance of surviving was very low, he said, adding: “Workers found out that there was a squirrel in the log when it was put under the saw machine. Then they were delivered to our zoo and we treated them for a day and a night over two-and-a-half months. Now they are two years old and very healthy.” 

The Karatay Zoo, which opened in 2005, is home to 520 animals of 83 species. It sits on an area of 35,000 square meters, with conditions for animals improving every year.