A woman has made elaborate setups in her garden to make it look as though the visiting squirrels have jobs. An absolutely fantastic use of time, if you ask me.
Young Chu, 35, first spotted squirrels in her Toronto back garden during the Covid-19 lockdown and started to enjoy watching them come and play every day. You can see them in action here:
A few months after first spotting the furry little guys, videographer Chu decided to set up some adorable little props so she could film them and share the footage online.
Chu said: "I have named the grey squirrels Elton Squirrel, Greyson, Butters, and PanPan because she lies down like a pancake.
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"There’s also a black squirrel named Kami and Lil Max is the red squirrel.
"I decided to create a scene where Lil Max seems to be running for mayor. I was watching a reality show and they went to a small town in Alaska where the mayor is a cat.
"So, I thought it would be funny to have him do that too because I had previously written in my captions that he is the CEO of his own corporation, so running for mayor aligns with his character nicely.
"I like that this storyline gives me a reason to write satirical content and make funny things like mock political ads.
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"It’s fun to see them interact with different props and see how they would react to new items. Sometimes they are cautious and don’t touch them right away."
Chu spent months quietly observing where the squirrels went in her garden to learn where their favourite spots were.
She added: "I can place the cameras in their favourite spots and eventually they will show up.
"You do need to have patience as I don’t touch the squirrels. They are cautious of people and feel more comfortable when no one is around.
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"I place the cameras in their favourite spots and leave them on record for about half an hour at a time and allow the squirrels to walk into frame naturally.
"Currently, my favourite scene is the grey squirrel Elton Squirrel playing the mini-piano. That’s one of my most popular posts so far. I have designed cute notebooks and merchandise with this photo.
"It took several days before any of the squirrels put their hands on the mini-piano the 'right' way. Other than this moment, they were usually standing on the top, side or back of the piano.
"I was very excited when Elton Squirrel finally stood on the right end of the piano and put his paws up near the keys.
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"It’s been a fun and creatively fulfilling experience. I’ve also been learning a lot because I didn't know much about squirrels before I started observing them during the lockdowns. In the beginning, I thought the red squirrel was a chipmunk!
"The reaction to my photos has been very positive. People think that the photos and videos are very cute and funny.
"They had never paid much attention to squirrels before, even though they are everywhere in our country."
Claire Reid