Red squirrel caught ‘playing’ a grand piano in Scottish forest

23 September 2020, 10:09 | Updated: 23 September 2020, 13:54

Red squirrel photographed ‘playing’ a piano in Scotland
Red squirrel photographed ‘playing’ a piano in Scotland. Picture: SWNS

By Sian Moore

Reliable sources say he was playing The Nutcracker...

What could be more tempting for a foraging red squirrel, than a tiny piano brimming with its favourite snacks? Nuttin, it seems.

One bushy-tailed creature couldn’t resist the lure of a few hazelnuts, which had been strategically placed by photographer and music teacher Jeffrey Wang inside the pocket-sized instrument.

And as it reached its tiny claws inside to retrieve the snack, it was caught ‘playing’ the piano.

Read more: Woodland creatures sing a Bellini opera in beautiful short film >

Red squirrel pictured ‘playing’ the piano in Scotland
Red squirrel pictured ‘playing’ the piano in Scotland. Picture: SWNS
The squirrel reached inside the mini piano to retrieve the hazelnuts
The squirrel reached inside the mini piano to retrieve the hazelnuts. Picture: SWNS

Wang, who took the photos in Carnie Woods near Westhill, Aberdeenshire, said of the creatures: “You have to find creative ways to get them to do what you want them to.

“I put hazelnuts in their general area, squirrels really love hazelnuts. When they see them they will instantly go for them.”

He went on: “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 had placed hazelnuts inside the miniature piano
Photographer Jeffrey Wang had placed hazelnuts inside the miniature piano. Picture: SWNS

Read more: Cat falls asleep inside piano to soothing lullaby, makes our hearts melt >

The tiny instrument, purchased by Wang on eBay, has become the perfect prop for these adorable photoshoots.

“It’s really cool being able to do stuff with a wild animal, they are not going to do what you tell them to,” he added.

It looks like there’s a new music prodigy in the making, but this one has four legs, a red coat and a big bushy tail...