Squirrel Saga

As I was walking to work today, I saw a young Columbian Ground Squirrel - looks like a gopher and is that size (not squirrel size) - frantically trying to negotiate one of the main sidewalks of town. He (it?) was running along the edge of the stores and loking for a way to get as far from the people (tons of tourists in town) and the cars as possible. I went into one of the stores to ask that they close to door so the suirrel wouldn't get in to the mall. Next thing I know I was in the bookstore in the mall and someone came running in to say there was a Ground surirrel in the mall running all around and panicking. They called security and before anything could be done the squirrel was in the bookstore running frantically up and down the aisles. I tried to keep him from getting back out into the mall as he would be impossible to catch....We grabbed a cardboard box and a waste basket and started to come from both sides and we got him to go behind the cash counter and after some hollering and manoeuvering and much trembling and desperate attempts to evade us....we managed to get the squirrel in a box and managed to get another box to secure the top.

Poor Columbian Ground Squirrel.....frantic, scrabbling like mad to get out.

I carried the box out of the mall, down the street, looking for somewhere the squirrel colony could be. Then I realised that one block from the main street in Banff there was a property with a scrubby lawn and I went there and sure enough there was a whole series of burrows. So I opened the box in front of a burrow and the squirrel leapt out, ignored that burrow, tore across the lawn and jumped down another burrow - and disappeared without so much as a Thank you.

I am very glad I was lucky enough to figure out where the squirrel lived. Have to hope Squirrel doesn't head to the mall again.