A woman who rescued a baby squirrel has formed a close bond with the animal after it refused to leave her care and head back out into the wild.
Patricia Robinson first found the squirrel, whom she named Bunk, in 2016 when he was rejected by his mother and was left to fend for himself - prompting Patricia to pick him up and raise him herself.
And while her initial plan was to get him healthy enough that he could be released back into the wild, Bunk seemingly had other plans as he refused to leave her house and has been with his human pal ever since.
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Patricia, 58, has even made an indoor tree house for her little friend inside her home in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
She said: "When Bunk tried to approach his mother she would back away. I picked Bunk up and he nuzzled up to me.
"I decided to raise him in such a way that he would be used to wild living, giving him access to both the indoors and outdoors."
The woman watched wild squirrels for research to see what they would eat before foraging for the same items herself so that she could give Bunk the most natural diet possible.
But when she tried to release her furry friend into the wild once he'd grown old enough, he returned to her house five days later and "refused to leave".
She added: "Upon holding him, he fell asleep in my hands. Getting him ready to go again, I quickly found he would refuse to leave.
"I wasn't aware that that squirrels had that much personality but my favourite part of raising Bunk was the time we had to bond. I cherished this the most."
Unfortunately, Bunk has since injured his paw, meaning it's no longer save for him to be released into the wild as it's unlikely he would survive.
So Patricia has now created a wild space for the squirrel complete with a tree house made up of a variety of wood for him to chew on and clamber upon, made from furniture Patricia found on the side of the road.
She explained: "I made him something I call the trouser tower, in this, I will hide nuts, so he is able to find them. It is like an Easter egg hunt every day for him.
"Bunk loves rubs, which a lot of squirrels do. It activates the drool gland, and for some reason he loves it. He is a lot of fun; I never imagined I could love a little animal like him, as much as I love this little guy."
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