The squirrel whisperer! Rodent comes running when a man calls before climbing onto his shoulder to get a nut in remarkable footage
- Jon Massey, 45, is seen making ticking noise near some trees in Oulu, Finland
- Squirrel he has named Mama scurries over and nibbles a pecan on his shoulder
- Among his other squirrel friends are Pecan Princess, Humpty and Tony Montana
They usually try to avoid human contact – but this squirrel was more than happy to scamper over to one man and eat a nut on his shoulder.
Footage shows Jon Massey standing near some trees in Oulu, a city in central Finland, while he makes ticking noises.
Suddenly, the female squirrel – which he has named Mama – rushes over to him and disappears behind his back.
Moments later, Mama has climbed onto his left shoulder, whereupon Mr Massey offers her a pecan nut.
When Jon Massey, from Oulu, Finland, starts making ticking noises, a squirrel friend of his rushes towards him (bottom left, above)
The female squirrel, which he has named Mama, climbs up Mr Massey’s shoulder in the footage
When the wildlife enthusiast offers Mama a pecan nut, she wastes no time grabbing the treat and nibbles it for a short while on his shoulder
The cheeky critter grabs the treat, nibbles it while remaining on his shoulder and then whizzes off back towards the trees.
Over the past five years, Mr Massey, 45, has built up a reputation as a Squirrel Whisperer, and has never been bitten by them.
During this time, he has gained the trust of several squirrels, including ones he has named Pecan Princess, Humpty and – clearly a fan of Al Pacino’s character in Scarface – Tony Montana.
Lifelong wildlife enthusiast Mr Massey has noticed each one has a distinct personality: he describes Mama as ‘serve me’; Tony Montana as ‘please please’; and Pecan Princess as ‘I’ll just help myself’, according to his Instagram account.
The first squirrel that ever approached him was Humpty.
Moments later, Mama leaves the 45-year-old and darts back towards the trees. Among Mr Massey’s other squirrel pals are ones he’s called Pecan Princess, Humpty and Tony Montana
Mr Massey, who lives with his girlfriend, said: ‘It all started with Humpty. I sat in the freezing cold being very still for hours every day for about three months.
‘She started coming closer and I tried for about a week and then it started. Since then, all the squirrels have followed and learned from each other.’
It is not just squirrels that are drawn to him. He has also befriended voles, hedgehogs and ducks.
The footage was shot on May 10 but has recently re-emerged.