Red squirrel goes nuts in Pitlochry Greggs
- Published
The squirrel has been spotted in the window of Greggs in Pitlochry
A red squirrel is at the centre of a rescue operation after it was found trapped in a Perthshire bakery.
Greggs in Pitlochry is closed while efforts are made to remove the protected animal, which was discovered in the roof on Saturday.
The mission is being led by a member of the Scottish SPCA's animal rescue team.
Greggs said the shop would reopen once the squirrel was safely returned to woodland and the shop thoroughly cleaned.
An eyewitness who photographed the squirrel in the bakery said the animal looked like it wanted to escape.
"The wee thing looked a little stressed, running all around, jumping on the chairs," Shona Rollo, from Pitlochry, said.
"And at one point it came right up to the window to eyeball us like it was definitely looking to escape. One of my boys wanted a selfie with it.
"It was actually a really lovely experience watching it run around - very ninja-like."
A spokesperson for the Scottish SPCA said they were initially contacted about the squirrel on Saturday.
"As the squirrel was very high up in the rafters, we advised the member of the public to leave an exit for the squirrel in the hope the animal would come down of their own accord," they added.
"Unfortunately that hasn't been the case and a member of our animal rescue team is now in the process of trying to gain access to the shop to assess the situation."
Specialists have had to be called in to remove the red squirrel because it is a protected species.
A Greggs spokesperson said: "Greggs in Pitlochry is closed today due to a red squirrel being found in the shop.
"We're making sure the squirrel is rescued and let back into the woodland.
"Once the shop has been thoroughly cleaned, the shop will reopen as normal."
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There are about 160,000 native red squirrels in Britain, of which over 75% live in Scotland, according to Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels.
Due to their protected status, it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure or take a red squirrel.
It is also an offence to damage, destroy or obstruct access to a drey or any other structure or place which a red squirrel uses for shelter or protection
And people must not disturb a red squirrel when it is occupying a structure or place for shelter or protection.
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