Mother Nature and her inhabitants are full of surprises. Sometimes, a prey charges at predators, and at other times, two natural enemies coexist peacefully. A similar scenario occurred when a tiny squirrel became an unlikely companion to a golfer.
It is usually common to see squirrels scurrying across golf courses, dodging flying golf balls, and humans altogether. However, seeing an adorable baby squirrel joining a pair of golfers playing on the golf course was unexpected and astonishing.
A tiny squirrel joined some golfers, in Plymouth, Michigan, for 16 holes at a course on the 13th of May, 2023. The squirrel approached Mike Gurny, one of the golfers. Mike, who was not surprised to see a squirrel, thought it was just passing through. He decided to wait to see if the squirrel would leave. According to him, “I noticed the squirrel, and I gave it a second to see if it would run off, but it did not.” “After a few minutes, I picked the squirrel up. As an animal person, this is my nature,” Mike explained further. “I gave it a few pets and set it back on the ground to let it go. But surprisingly, it followed me back to the cart.”
Mike was very surprised when the squirrel still followed him after he let it go; after all, it was an uncommon occurrence. He decided to go along with the flow. Mike picked the furry friend up again and set it on a towel where it was able to ride around the course with the golfers in their cart.
Normally, animals run away at the slightest movement humans make but the case with this squirrel is different. It continued to stay with Mike even with all the sudden jerks and movements he made. The squirrel even went as far as climbing Mike’s hat, sitting on it fearlessly. “The squirrel was comfortable to sit on my shoulder, in my hands, and even ride on my hat,” Mike explained.
The little squirrel was eventually named “Chief.” It stayed with the golfers, especially Mike, throughout their stay on the golf course. It joined in the entire round. Chief had the perfect crew to pamper him and, notably, let him steer the golf cart. “After we completed the round, it was already getting dark, so I decided to take it home,” Mike said. Like everyone else, Chief got cleaned up after a day on the golf course. Mike explained that he gave the squirrel fluids and nuts to hold it over until he could get it to a wildlife rehabilitation center called Nature’s Helping Hands in nearby Livonia.
In the meantime, he said the animal was given a flea bath, and he was put in a homemade enclosure. Mike had a three-year-old daughter that adored the pet and loved petting him, but he could not keep him. The following day he was able to hand Chief over to the rehabilitation center, which was happy to rescue the adorable furry animal. “I would have kept him, but the dogs at home thought he was a snack,” “He’s at a good home now,” Mike said.
Although taking Chief to the golf course for future rounds is a tempting thought, Mike made the right call by taking the squirrel to the wildlife center. This heartwarming story reminds us of the power of compassion and our connection with the animal kingdom. It shows us an unbreakable bond that can be formed between humans and animals, even in the most unexpected circumstances.
