Red squirrel puts the bite on rescuer
AN AUTHOR of a book about red squirrels ended up in hospital after being bitten by an
injured creature he had rescued.
Squirrel fanatic Ernie Gordon, 75, of Windsor Gardens, Alnwick, had to go to accident and emergency at the town's infirmary for a tetanus injection and was put on a course of antibiotics after his altercation with Elvis.
Retired Ernie, who wrote children's book The Adventures of Rusty Red Coat Volume I, had been called out to rescue the squirrel last Friday after people had reported seeing a creature injured.
He took the animal to AlnNorthumbria Vets in Alnwick, where X-rays revealed it had a broken pelvis.
Ernie decided to name the six-month- old male squirrel Elvis, because of its broken pelvis.
He took the creature home and built it a house in a lawnmower box.
But as Ernie went to pick it up to move it to its new home, the squirrel sank its teeth into his right hand index finger, then his left hand thumb.
The creature took a lot of persuading to let go but after eventually getting Elvis settled, Ernie went to have his wounds checked.
He did not require stitches but said: "You cannot believe the strength or pressure a little squirrel has in its jaw!"
Elvis's rescue came about after he was spotted by staff at a local timber yard.
They reported him to Ernie, who is well known for spending time each day at Alnwick's Hulne Park studying and feeding squirrels.
Ernie went and set a trap but that wasn't successful. Elvis was then spotted in the garden of a holiday home near the yard, by the family who were staying there.
A young girl from the family threw a towel over Elvis and he was put in a picnic hamper.
Ernie was called and came out to collect the squirrel before taking him to the vet.
Ernie had initially feared Elvis would not survive more than a few days as the vet had said he had to be inactive to recover whereas the wild creature would not stay still.
Now, however, the creature appears to be on the road to a full recovery.
Elvis is staying in a garage at a friend of Ernie's in nearby Rennington, where
the author lived for 12 years, and where he is continuing to feed and nurse him.
Ernie plans to gradually reintroduce him to local woods in three to four weeks before finally releasing him back into the wild.
The author said: "This story is just absolutely lovely for the kids. It is a true tale."
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