Red squirrel 'plays' grand piano in viral photos
Jeffrey Wang, who works as a music teacher, took the images at Carnie Woods, outside Aberdeen, Scotland
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Maybe this miniature mammal is the next Mozart.
A wildlife photographer in Scotland has captured remarkable images showing a red squirrel reaching out for hazelnuts encased in a miniature grand piano, British news agency SWNS reports.
Jeffrey Wang, who works as a music teacher, took the images at Carnie Woods, outside Aberdeen. He spent a couple of hours watching the squirrels play in the wooded area and used the tiny instrument, which he purchased off eBay, to create the moments.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A red squirrel seems to play a tiny piano while eating nuts at Carnie Woods, outside Aberdeen, Scotland. (SWNS)
"I love watching squirrels, they are so energetic," Wang, 27, said. "They are always energetic, I haven't seen a squirrel that isn't. They are always bouncing around, it makes me feel energized."
Wang said red squirrels, which are found all over Europe and Asia, are "cuter than grey ones," but he needs to continuously get creative to get them to act how he would like.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You have to find creative ways to get them to do what you want them to," Wang added. "I put hazelnuts in their general area, squirrels really love hazelnuts. When they see them they will instantly go for them. They will try and find them in the piano, they will reach in and I will freeze that exact moment, when it looks like they are playing the piano."
Photographer Jeffrey Wang, 27, snapped the critter at Carnie Woods, outside Aberdeen. He lives a 15-minute walk away and spent two hours watching the red squirrels play on the evening of Sept. 11. (SWNS)
"They can fall from the top of a tree onto the ground and they will often be fine, it just doesn't bother them at all," Wang continued. "It's really cool being able to do stuff with a wild animal, they are not going to do what you tell them to."
RED SQUIRREL LAUNCHES ITSELF AT GREY SQUIRREL IN VIRAL PHOTO
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Red squirrels are officially classified as "near threatened" in certain parts of the U.K., with population estimates ranging between 120,000 and 160,000 in the country, according to the Woodland Trust.
The introduction of grey squirrels from America is the main cause of their decline for three reasons: grey squirrels carry a Parapoxvirus that often kills red squirrels; grey squirrels eat green acorns, decimating the food supply of the red squirrel; and a decline in breeding, the Trust added.
(SWNS)
Last month, a wildlife photographer from Arklow, Ireland, captured a remarkable image of a red squirrel just before it attacked a grey squirrel.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}