German police rescue man from squirrel stalker

The squirrel was eventually apprehended by police after it grew tired and fell asleep. PHOTO: TWITTER/POLIZEI KARLSRUHE

German police in the city of Karlsruhe rescued a man who called for help saying that he was being chased by a squirrel on Thursday (Aug 9), Karlsruhe police headquarters said in a statement.

Officers arrived at the scene and found the baby squirrel still in pursuit of its hapless target. The squirrel was apprehended after it grew tired and fell asleep.

Police spokeswoman Christina Krenz told the Guardian: "It often happens that squirrels which have lost their mothers look for a replacement and then focus their efforts on one person."

She added that the squirrel could be persistent and can fixate entirely on a person.

"It can be pretty scary. The man didn't know what to do and so he called the police. He was certainly feeling a bit threatened," she said.

In their report on the incident, officers declared that the squirrel would be named Karl-Friedrich and become their new mascot.

Karl-Friedrich was later sent to an animal rescue centre to be looked after.

Karlsruhe police later posted photos of the squirrel on Twitter, showing it being fed, napping, and doing time in a cardboard box filled with leaves.

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