Baby squirrels found under hood of a car – but where's their mother?
Massapequa, New York - This car owner wasn't all that surprised when his engine wouldn't start. When he and a mechanic took a look under the hood a short time later, however, he was met with a whole family of baby animals!
Somehow, nature had made its way into the SUV, as the engine was littered with a leafy nest for a family of squirrels.
The mechanic was amazed to discover that a total of six baby squirrels had made their home under the leaves. One by one, he and the owner of the car took the little ones out of the car and into a box.
After all, the engine had to be cleaned, and the vehicle had to be made roadworthy again.
But what was to become of the cute animals – and where was their mother?
The car owner picked up the phone and called local wildlife rescuer Karenlynn Stracher to ask her for advice. Luckily, she knew just what to do!
TikTok shows squirrel family's heartwarming reunion!
She told the SUV driver to drop the babies off as quickly as possible near the spot where he had been parked for the past few weeks.
The man, who had been diligently filming the whole incident up to that point, followed Stracher's instructions and then lay in wait with his camera to film the possible reunion.
Stracher also watched the heartbreaking spectacle: at record speed, the mother squirrel grabbed one cub after the other to carry them to their new nest as quickly as possible.
Soon, the happy ending in their new "home" was perfect.
"She ran down instantly," the wildlife expert told The Dodo. "It was the fastest reunification I have ever seen!"
"When babies are healthy, every attempt should be made to return them to their mother, because no matter how good us rehabbers are at raising baby squirrels, their mother is always best," she added.
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/TikTok/@wildliferehab_kl