A baby red squirrel found clinging to her dead mother by the side of an Aberdeenshire road has been rescued and is recovering in the care of the SSPCA.
The animal welfare charity were alerted on February 4 when the two week old kit was discovered at the side of a road in Drumoak- near to their centre.
The squirrel is now being looked after at the charity’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Clackmannanshire, where staff have named her Ewok.
Centre manager Colin Seddon said: “Ewok is our first red squirrel orphan of the year and was found under very sad circumstances after her mum was hit by a car.
“It’s incredible that she survived given she would have been attached to her mother at the time.
“Ewok is quite delicate but seems to be responding well to treatment.
“Sheelagh McAllister from our centre has been providing her with round the clock care, which includes taking her home in the evenings to syringe feed her through the night.
“Once Ewok is on solid food we’ll move her to one of our outdoor enclosures where she’ll have lots of space to run, jump and develop her fitness before her release back into the wild.”
Anyone who discovers an injured or distressed animal should call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.