‘Bald’ squirrel in gardens proves elusive

The squirrel, minus fur and its trademark fluffy tail, has been spotted in Grove gardens in Dunstable but despite the best efforts of volunteers from Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue, has so far managed to evade captivity.

The charity has been looking for the creature after being alerted by animal lovers using the gardens.

In a statement on its website the charity said: “For those who have contacted us about this Squirrel in Dunstable, we have been out again today with the RSPCA to look for him.

“We spent over an hour at the location searching and there was no sign of him at all. We spoke to other members of the public who also had not seen him.

“This is the fourth time we have been out now to search for this animal and despite the fact that there are dozens and dozens of squirrels in Grove gardens, we still have not seen this one once.

“This is not a location where a trap can be left as it cannot be monitored and we therefore have to rely on him being there when we are, so that we can assess the situation.

“Please do contact us if you see him, but be aware that we are quite limited in what we can do.”

The Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue, based in HoughtonRegis, is the only wildlife rescue charity covering the county.

On its Facebook page CJ Phelps wrote: Oh bless him, really hope you find him & can help him. So nice that lots of people feed them, I always feed the ones in my work car park.

And Chrissy Taylor-Burge wrote: Hope you find him , he’s adorable but needs help from the cold “bless him “.

The condition can be caused by dermatophytosis, a fungus that attacks the shaft of the hair where it emerges from the skin. It is usually not fatal.

Find out more at http://www.wildlife-rescue.org.uk/