Woman nursed a baby squirrel back to health and he comes to play with her everyday

It is widely believed that animals never forget the humans who treat them with compassion and love. This is absolutely true for a squirrel named Samuel who hasn't forgotten the people who saved his life. Chrissy, a woman who rescued this squirrel, shared their heartwarming story in a viral Reddit post last month. She shared, "We helped this squirrel when he was a baby and he comes back to us every day to play."  

The video she shared shows her interacting with the squirrel as he appears to have the time of his life climbing up and down her side. According to My Modern Met, Chrissy first met Samuel when he was young—between 4 to 6 weeks old—and in need of help. She explained in a comment on Reddit, "When I found him I called the wildlife rescue organization called critter care and they gave me great advice and helped me with feeding and a wound he had."

Chrissy and her family finally bid farewell to Samuel after nursing the squirrel back to health. However, he kept coming back to them every day to play and be around his favorite humans. This sort of conduct is not unusual, despite seeming like something out of a fictional tale. She explained, "There are several documented cases of orphaned squirrels that have been raised by humans and then, released into the wild where they do seem to remember their human host. In some cases, they even return to reconnect with their human saviors."

Her Reddit post has left people completely fascinated and has racked up over 102k upvotes and counting. A Reddit user commented, "He must live close by. I'm guessing you guys have a lot of black squirrels in your area? We only have gray ones. When he leaves does he always take off in the same direction? Ever follow to see his house?" Chrissy replied to their questions by writing, "We live on a little hobby farm and I don't think he's ever been off our property. He made a home in a tree just about 50 feet from our back door."

Seeing the video, some people were concerned if the squirrel had ever harmed Chrissy. She thoughtfully replied, "Never aggressive or hurt me. He loves to pretend to nibble me but he's super gentle. I even had to squish an abscess on his face when he was young and he stood still and calm. Only playful nibbles." However, she added that his sibling attacked her "viciously" when she tried to help it. 

Some Reddit users even shared their own squirrel stories. A person shared that when his brother found a squirrel that was extremely hurt, they did not think it would live for long. They added, "My dad called a veterinarian friend who told my parents what to do and what to feed it but cautioned that it would always be a wild animal, not a pet. We nursed it back to health (the little thing drinking out of a doll's baby bottle was as cute as you'd imagine). When it seemed all better, my parents insisted we let it go in the yard." 

However, the squirrel made a home in their walnut tree and came back to play with them. They added, "It would play fetch with a little Wiffle ball, jump from furniture to our shoulders, and was otherwise a great, friendly pet. It never bit or hurt anyone. It lived wild and free, but was a frequent visitor."