A hairdressing salon located on the street adjacent to the Bala Yesu Church at Seethammadhara is drawing curious glances from passersby and has caught the fancy of visitors to the salon.
Two squirrels can be seen playing on the shoulders of the Kanaka Raju and his father Suryanarayana even as they are busy attending to their customers.
The little creatures are regular visitors to the shop in the mornings and evenings.
Raju feeds them with milk, fruits and grains.
His brother, who used to keep a squirrel as a pet, died due to some sickness. “I had never thought of keeping a squirrel as a pet. But, one day two tiny squirrels fell on to the wooden floor of the shop from the asbestos roof. I fed them for a few days and thought they would return to the tree but they remained at the shop,” says Raju.
“I was surprised to find that the two baby squirrels wouldn't even go when their mother called them. They live on the trees behind the shop and make it a point to come to the shop every day and play for about half-an-hour and leave after having their fill,” he says.
Daily routine
Interestingly, the little squirrels which refuse to heed to the call of their mother, dash off to play with Raju when he calls out to them by making a strange sound.
“We found the little squirrels in September last year and their routine has been the same ever since. Their mother, however, refuses to come to us,” he says.
Raju has also rescued a stray dog, which was hit by a vehicle recently, from the verge of death.
