Already a member?
Login now to see member only prices and resources

Back to news

Saving baby squirrels? All in a day’s work for NIE Networks

   

Wednesday 29 March 2023

Saving baby squirrels? All in a day’s work for NIE Networks It’s not the sort of thing you come across every day, but a couple of tree cutters from NIE Networks could be forgiven for their surprise when they came across a scurry of baby squirrels in Co Antrim. 

To add to the dilemma, the newborns were all alone and swift action was required.

NIE Networks Krsztsof Kuchta told how it was just “a typical day on the job” when the unexpected happened.




“We were felling trees and clearing timber from the power lines,” he said. “Everything was normal until we came to the very last tree, which was dead and covered in ivy. Just as we were starting up a chainsaw to cut it up on the ground, one of my colleagues thought he heard a noise. It was lucky because we were wearing earmuffs – but we turned off the chainsaw and, sure enough, we heard something that sounded like little kittens crying.”

Krsztsof was subsequently examining the area when he saw some movement. “I thought I saw something, then I looked closer and found what turned out to be a nest,” he said.

“I put my hand in and out came one baby squirrel. Soon there were five of them. We needed to create a home for them in another tree so that’s what I did,” he said.

“We found a bucket in one of the vans and filled it with dust and wood chippings and used a cherry picker to put it in another tree in the same area. We told the owner of the land we were working on what happened and asked him to watch out for the mother squirrel coming back. Sure enough, he sent us a message within two hours to say she had returned to her babies and the squirrel family was reunited.”

The Dunadry resident, who witnessed the rescue, commended the engineers for their prompt action.

“They were cutting trees on my property when they came across the baby squirrels,” he said. “I watched them get a container from their van and produce a makeshift home for the squirrels and I was really touched by how they handled this surprising find. It was a true act of kindness and I’m especially delighted that it had such a happy ending.”

Judy McElroy, Sustainability and Environment Manager, with NIE Networks said: 

“We have collaborated with Ulster Wildlife to develop a bespoke Wildlife Aware Guide and associated training programme, to help employees protect and identify wildlife and better understand the environment they come in contact with daily.  It’s really rewarding to see the outcome of this in practice and we’re very proud of Krzsystof and the team for doing all they could to ensure the wildlife were protected.”

 

Wednesday 29 March 2023

You may also be interested in