Adorable Beggar

My kiddos and I were out braving the heat at the Phoenix Zoo yesterday. The summers are usually slow at the zoo since many of the animals will not venture out of the shade and roam their enclosures. However, the heat did not stop one cute critter. Along one of the hottest and steepest areas of the zoo, our path was blocked by a round-tailed ground squirrel .

These little cuties run all over my yard most of the year but out where I live they are very skiddish since they are at risk of being eaten by all sorts of predators. But this little squirrel lives at the zoo and is obviously not afraid of people. He stood up on the burning pavement and begged for something to eat. He was so cute that I couldn’t resist. I moved over to the shoudler so his little feet wouldn’t burn and he followed right along. I threw a couple of dried cherries onto the ground and he scampered off to eat them. Here he is enjoying the fruits of his labors.

Begging squirrels might not be rare in your neck of the woods but it is in this desert. My kids were so excited -and so was I!