Because you never know!

So I snapped this photo at the Joburg zoo. It's the first red squirrel I've ever seen. I really had to zoom in to even get this foggy, blurry shot and of course, the second I had him in focus, the little beastie had to go and turn his back on me, so that now I have to reassure you that yes, this is a squirrel and not the back of a cleverly shaped stone that’s ignoring me.

But you have to wonder what a red squirrel is doing there in amongst the dustier brown squirrels native to South Africa?
Obviously he's up to something.

We suspected he could well be an arms dealer.

No think about it! Ground squirrels dig tunnels all over the place, which they certainly have in the zoo. There’s holes all over the place that the general public tend to find with their feet at awkward moments.
Red squirrels don’t tunnel however. They usually climb trees and gambol about fancy free. So why is this one down on the ground? What nefarious reason could he have to be on the ground with the “lesser nut-munchers?” Sure he could just be stretching his wee, fuzzy legs.
BUT!

What if it’s really leading a resistance movement? Cleverly coordinating the building of tunnels that could stretch as far as Israel or Iraq or other stupidly war torn nation! There’s no telling what sort of dog tunnels he might be organizing there! Full of ammunitions and supplies and clever booby-traps that have taken out more then one unsuspecting zookeeper in his time.

I wouldn’t know why a squirrel would be a world renowned arms smuggler. It could be he’s a misguided freedom fighter? Perhaps he lost someone close in the war? (I don’t know which war but there’s always a number to chose from), or perhaps he just had a bad childhood experience? (There’s nothing worse for a young squirrel then having someone inappropriately touching his nuts…)

I can’t pretend to know the story of this little enigma. His world is his own. (Heck it could be her world, it didn’t’ exactly flash me…) So let’s continue on with our lives, knowing these brave little fighters are out there, eking out their own little place in the world.

Mr Squirrel – I salute you!