Rare squirrel gets foster family near Kaiga

Home from home

The Uday Gouda family, residents of Virje, a village near Kaiga nuclear power plant in Uttara Kannada district has a strange family member, one that lives on tree tops. A Malabar Giant squirrel, an arboreal species (tree dweller) has found human company more safe than the wilderness.

Little did Gouda’s family know that the rare giant squirrel which they rescued from the predators would turn into a village dweller. “The squirrel was attacked by birds. It managed to escape and fell in our garden. My children nursed it until it recovered. But after this it has become a part of family,” explained Gouda.

Also known as Indian giant squirrel, the animal is an upper-canopy dwelling species, which hardly leaves the trees. It requires "tall profusely branched trees for the construction of nests and glides from tree to tree with jumps of up to 6 m (20 ft).

When in danger, the squirrel, scientifically known as Ratufa Indica, often freezes or flattens itself against the tree trunk, instead of fleeing. “It is a very shy and wary animal and is not easy to discover.

It is indeed a surprise how it has adapted to the human habitat,” says K Puttaraju, a wildlife enthusiast and scientific officer at Kaiga nuclear plant, who two years ago strayed into the village where the squirrel has made its home.

Interestingly, the village comprises hunters where such species are hunted and consumed. However, the animal lives without fear. Though the animal moves into the nearby forest, it responds when any of the family member calls it.

“We always keep some fruits and nuts for the squirrel. It has strong teeth and can even cut aluminium wires that are 2-3mm thick,” explained Gouda.

“The squirrel is so used to the presence of human beings, that it does not shy away when photographed,” added Puttaraju.

Malabar Giant squirrel also known as red squirrel grows to a length of about 70-80 inches, half of which consists of a bushy tail. A full-grown adult squirrel weighs anywhere between 3 and 4 kg.

They live in tangled packets of leaves, twigs, moss, sticks and builds a nest, which is two-three feet in diameter in a tree hollow, perched on a branch or wedged in the fork of a tree.

The female bears a litter after a pregnancy of 40-50 days. The mother squirrel nurses the new-borns for 10 weeks. The squirrels live up to 10 to 15 years in captivity, but is widely hunted for its meat.

Santosh K, a wildlife biologist working on arboreal species, says that animals do exhibit such behaviour if they feel human beings will not harm them.