Four years ago, 58-year-old shawarma shop owner Mehmet Onal found a baby squirrel with a broken leg in a Sussex cemetery.
Now the two are inseparable, sharing Oreo cookies, shopping trips and what Mr. Onal calls “unconditional love… devotion and respect.”
In 2021, Onal found a baby squirrel in Hailsham, near Hastings. When animal rescue couldn't help, he decided to nurse it back to health himself.
He said, “I took him to the vet and she said the law says they have to be put to sleep.”
For eight weeks, Mehmet cared for the squirrel, later named Alvin, and gave him hydrotherapy until he recovered.
When Alvin recovered, Mehmet returned to the cemetery to free him, but the animal kept coming back.
“He came at me like a bullet,” he said.
“It was emotional. The way he came to him. He didn't want to leave.”
Since then, Alvin has lived with Mehmet and they have become best friends.
“But some call him a parasite because he's a gray squirrel. He's my boy. I start to cry.
“I'm a very emotional person. He's not a parasite.”
@mehmetandalvin
♬ Original Sound – Elwyn Hailsham, England
Mehmet, who runs a kebab shop in the city, is often seen with Alvin at the local shopping mall, where people stop to take photos.
Since then, he's rescued two more squirrels, Simon and Eleanor, and has amassed over 10,000 followers on TikTok by sharing videos of the animals.
According to him, Alvin developed a taste for unusual foods.
“He loves custard. But when it comes to cream, he won't eat it.”
“And every morning he wants sliced tomatoes with pita.”
The squirrel recently celebrated her birthday by treating him to acorn pie.
Mehmet said of Alvin: “He didn't change my life. I always say that I didn't save him, he saved him.”
More trends
-
The mysterious smell that haunted the school for weeks was 'teacher using fart spray'.
Strange 5 days ago
- “Dystopian” toilets won't give you toilet paper unless you watch the ad first.
- An enraged squirrel has appeared in California, sending two people to the hospital.
- People think the rapture will happen today and are sharing advice on how to “escape.”
“I always thought Alvin was a special gift. I was in a really bad place. He made me smile again.”
He added: “It's unconditional love.
“There is loyalty and respect between us.”
The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) recommends that if you find a sick animal, you take it to the vet.
Sourse: metro.co.uk
