Heartbreaking Footage Shows a Thirsty Squirrel Begging Humans for Some Water to Drink

Tackling the summer heat is quite difficult without access to proper hydration. Take the example of this squirrel who was probably busy scampering through the gardens or leaping upon seed-filled bird feeders on a hot day in the summer of 2020. When some humans wandering around came across him, they noticed that he was parched. Soon, the rodent was begging them for water. The footage first caught the spotlight when the Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda (@susantananda3) posted it on X. Ever since, it has been making spiralling rounds on the internet.

Captured in a camera’s mid-shot, the footage shows some young people strolling around on a stony road. In a moment, a russet-bodied squirrel scuttling around their feet was dressed in shoes. At about 5 seconds in the footage, the squirrel stands in a tripod stance, positioning its body on its hind legs and making begging gestures with its front limbs. One person, who’s also carrying a water bottle, moves away to shoo away the rodent. But when the squirrel persists, the person is forced to stop and slake his thirst.

The young man lowered the plastic water bottle and tucked it to the squirrel’s mouth. The thirsty guy gripped the bottle with his front claws and started guzzling it down, in the same way you drink water after an intense gym session. While he slurped, some water spilled on the ground, forming a glistening pool around him. The squirrel nearly quaffed down the entire bottle. Then it stood there, still for a moment. A moment later, it scurried away, dashing and darting through the grey pavement and rushing towards a grove of trees on the other side.

The squirrel’s heart-wrenching call for help and his acute need for water triggered a variety of emotions in the viewers. Many of them were prompted to reflect upon different perspectives that led to this scene, both sweet and sad at the same time. A day later, Indian content creator Jitendra Sharma (@TedTheStoner) reposted the footage on Instagram, writing, “This thirsty squirrel asking for water is the best thing I saw today.”

One viewer, @AnjanaPed, pointed out that sights like these are very common among birds and animals. The video reminded her of Sanchi Stupa, the great Buddhist temple in central India. In this temple, she said, it’s very common to encounter hungry and thirsty squirrels. Others contemplated an array of scenarios and insights after watching the scene.

The footage of this thirsty squirrel triggered sadness in many viewers. “Breaks your heart seeing the poor being like this,” commented @nilamadhabpanda. Reflecting on how humans have gotten so disconnected from the animal world, @raghuveer_d said, “We used to have water pots in every house in our villages, when birds to animals all used to have water. [...] We need to rise to co-exist with other species.”

In another comment, @lahens echoed the sentiment, “Mixed feelings at what we humans have reduced the earth to. These animals, who are equal partners, cannot even find a natural source of water for themselves.” Commenting on a Reddit re-post of the video, u/AngelHairNoodles wrote a letter from the perspective of the thirsty squirrel, “Dear humans, can you please add more water features to your urban areas so my friends and I have more resources to drink from? I love you for doing that. Squirrel.”

While some took the footage on an emotional note, others joked that it was a learned behavior and the squirrel was just flaunting its persuasion skills to its scam squad. u/Holybartender83 cooked up another theory, “Plot twist: the squirrels are being trained by the bottled water vendors.” 

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