Massachusetts Man Defends Child From 'Confused' Baby Squirrel

A Swampscott man had his hands full Tuesday night and called for backup when a baby gray squirrel who didn't know any better went on the offensive.

Mike Prosniewski said the ordeal began just before 8 p.m., when his wife noticed something strange happening outside their kitchen window.

"She called me over and said she could see that our neighbor was in the middle of a fight with a little squirrel," Prosniewski said. "He had a push broom, so he wasn't getting bit or anything, but the squirrel just wasn't leaving him alone."

When he went out to lend a hand, Prosniewski said his neighbor told him the young squirrel had jumped onto his child's pants while they were walking into the house and was continuing its apparent assault.

Armed with a thick pair of gloves, Prosniewski said he and his neighbor were able to get the pesky rodent under a box shortly before Swampscott police arrived on scene.

"It was a younger squirrel and it wasn't rabid by any means, it seemed confused," he said.

To ease the mind of the shaken child, Prosniewski said he agreed to keep the box containing the squirrel in his backyard until the Marblehead Animal Control Officer could pick it up for observation.

After an overnight at the shelter, the animal control officer was able to give the critter a clean bill of health - and it was released into his backyard. 

"The good news was that the animal control officer said the squirrel wasn't sick or anything, it was just young and not scared of people yet," Prosniewski said.

Have you ever heard of a local squirrel attacking someone? 

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