The brilliant Hitchin Squirrel Rescue are used to helping out injured squirrels - but a polecat is a first.

The not-for-profit organisation in our town has been consistently acclaimed for their outstanding care of the cute creatures since they launched in 2019.

Run by husband and wife team Paul and Ania Allum, they turned their house into a sanctuary for stricken squirrels, stumping up thousands of pounds of their hard-earned cash over the years on food and medicines on the injured creatures.

Throughout lockdown and beyond the busy pair earned a renowned reputation for providing love for the cute critters and currently play host to nine of the loveable creatures.

So when Paul received an urgent message asking if they could help out earlier this week, the big-hearted couple immediately said yes.

Paul takes up the story, telling Hitchin Nub News: "We got a call from a lady to say she found a baby squirrel - so we said to bring it round.

"However, when she turned up we realised it wasn't a squirrel but a polecat.

"Ania is doing the hard work and looking after her. She is currently feeding her with kitten milk every two or three hours - right through the night with kitten milk - whereas we feed squirrels with puppy milk. Polecats also eat meat and they do grow bigger.

"We called her Polly - and although she's not a squirrel we'll give Polly the best chance of survival."

Well done to Paul and Ania.

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The difference between squirrels and polecats

The polecat has dark hairs with creamy underfur over most of its body, a dark facial mask, white fur on the muzzle and white ears. This colouration distinguishes it from the similar sized American mink, which is uniformly dark. Polecats can look very similar to ferrets.

Squirrels are bushy-tailed rodents with remarkable little bodies that are a feat of engineering. They have padded feet which cushion their jumps from up to 20 feet long. Their eyes are high, situated on each side of their heads so they can see a large amount of their surroundings without having to turn their head. They are also excellent runners – reaching up to 20mph.

To donate to Hitchin Squirrel Rescue to help them keep doing what they're doing visit their website

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