CHEEP CHEEP THE SQUIRREL

By Wg Cdr Prakash S Sanadi (Retd)

Breakfast was served to all aircrew on a lawn situated adjacent to the 2 Squadron, crew-room, in Ambala. A large old tree stood tall & stately at one end of the lawn. One day I saw a squirrel sitting on a branch of the tree, watching the pilots having their breakfast. Soon it started to call “CHEEP CHEEP” maybe saying “How about some breakfast for me?” So I took a few crumbs of the toast and threw it close to the tree. The squirrel watched the pieces for some time and gingerly came down picked up one piece and ran back to its designated place on the branch to eat it. This exercise continued on a daily basis. On some days the squirrel was not there so I used to call it by saying CHEEP-CHEEP and the next minute it was there. Soon I started to get it closer and closer to me and it would now pick up the bread crumb and eat it there itself and not run up the tree. Wg Cdr Greene one day asked me what I was doing. So I told him I was trying to get the squirrel to eat from my hand. He laughed and said “You are asking for the impossible” So I took a bet with him saying within the next few days watch what happens. Lo & Behold, the next day it came and picked up the bread piece dipped in jam from my hand, ran away, sat at a distance and ate up the bread piece in next to no time. The following day it came and sat on my hand and ate the bread piece. I won the bet & the proof is right here. Sadly a day came when CHEEP-CHEEP disappeared never to come back.