"Raised wild, set free, keeps coming back to me!" That's how Patty Robinson, a woman from Boston, Massachusetts, introduces her Instagram followers to the squirrel named Bunk she randomly found in her garden.
The companionship between Patty and her little wild friend started when she noticed the animal while looking out her kitchen window. Out of curiosity, the woman went outside to investigate and realized that the squirrel was still a baby! Patty walked around the property for around 45 minutes looking for a mom or siblings, but couldn't find anything. It was then that she realized she was going to help and raise this adorable creature, hoping to free him eventually. However, Bunk does not seem to want to leave any time soon and is still enjoying his time with his wonderful savior.
More info: Instagram
Meet Bunk and his savior Patty
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
Bunk was found by Patty in her garden when he was only a baby
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
The woman looked for Bunk's family or nest for around 45 minutes, but with no result
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
Patty told Bored Panda that she saw Bunk in her yard. When the woman went out to check it out, she found his eyes were still closed so Patty realized that the squirrel was a baby!
The woman looked for a mom, siblings and nest for 45 minutes and couldn’t find anything.
Patty decided to raise the little creature herself with the goal of letting it go one day since there were no signs of the squirrel's mom or siblings
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
"When I picked him up for the first time, he melted in my hands. I put him in my pocket and said, you just bunked right in. That’s where I got his name. I said, well, I guess I’m gonna have to call you Bunk. I thought, how hard could it be to raise a squirrel? I did use the internet, which some stuff was true, some stuff was not!"
Patty shared with us that she has always helped people in general. "My job was helping people, I’m a foster parent. I raised a grackle blackbird and freed him. At the end that grackle which I called hey baby really saved me!"
"The day I picked him up on the lawn was the day I was committed to him"
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
"I did free Bunk - he was gone for five days! He returned scared, growling. I tried three more times and he refused to leave!
Squirrels do not make good pets. They’re messy, expensive, they can bite, they need their own room, etc. He wouldn’t leave and I was not going to give up on him!"
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
Patty named the squirrel Bunk as he "just bunked right in" when she put him in her pocket
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
After some time, Patty let the squirrel go, but it returned. She tried to free it three more times but it didn't want to leave
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
To make Bunk's life indoors as fun and comfortable as possible, Patty decided to turn her house into a squirrel "playground" for him
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
"Because Bunk injured his paw, I built him ramps and put the tubes so he could safely run around the room. I’m an artist, so building him a treehouse and a tree sculpture with his favorite different kinds of wood was a pleasure."
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
Patty built some ramps, a treehouse, tree sculpture and nesting boxes so that Bunk could run around without injuring himself
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
"I built him nesting boxes, I built him a nest! Some of these things he would use and some he refused.
Bunk's room is his room, it’s not my room, it’s his room! I can’t make any changes. If I walk around his room, he follows me, watches me so I’m not making any changes. I can put something small in his room without him knowing and he’ll figure it out quick. I did build him a cage. The door on that cage never closes. Squirrels are not meant to live in a cage!"
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
"Bunk is loving, cuddly, and he and I are very very close"
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
Patty shared that everything she was told about squirrels growing up as a kid turned out to be wrong. "Squirrels eat so much more than just acorns. They eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Squirrels do not carry rabies; they can’t even get rabies. Squirrels are more social than people. They are amazing builders, and plant thousands of trees every year. They are extremely family-oriented."
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
Even though Bunk is free to leave, he chooses the life together with Patty in her jungle-like house
Image credits: bunk_a_boo
"To love a squirrel is amazing to be loved by a squirrel is a blessing! I don’t know who helps each other more every day him or I or both! He does make me a better person. He taught me how to be more connected with nature! Not a word is spoken between us yet we understand each other. Humans and squirrels a much more connected than people think!"
Image credits: bunk_a_boo