A red squirrel who got trapped inside a branch of Greggs has been released back into the wild. The rodent was first spotted in a branch of the popular high street bakery in Pitlochry, Perthshire on Saturday.
And after giving staff the run around, it was finally captured and released into the nearby Faskally woods on Tuesday evening. The store itself has remained closed for a deep clean.
On social media, Greggs made the most of the surprise visitor, keeping followers amused with their take on the incident. “Friendly locals offered their help to lure the Greggs Squirrel out," the brand tweeted.
“But ultimately, if you were having a tasty sleepover in Greggs, would you leave? No, of course not.
“After giving us the run around, we managed to catch the Greggs Squirrel safe and sound. Thanks for the, er, enthusiastic first shift.
“The Pitlochry shop is now closed for a deep clean and will reopen later this week, squirrel free (we hope)."
Staff at the branch even made the red squirrel its own name badge. It read: "Squirrel".
Although native to the UK, red squirrels have dwindled significantly since the introduction of grey squirrels from North America in the 19th century. According to the Woodland Trust, there are an estimated 287,000 red squirrels in Britain, in comparison to 2.7 million greys.
The population of red squirrels is now restricted to a few areas of the country, including the Isle of Wight, Anglesey and parts of Scotland. According to the Wildlife Trusts, red squirrels could become extinct in England within 10 years without conservation management.
The sighting of a red squirrel in Greggs is unusual as red squirrels are notoriously timid and tend to stay away from people.
