Pyotr Pankratau was a soldier in the Belarussian army when he
rescued a weak baby squirrel on the verge of death. Two years
later, Pankratau is now a taxi-driver, but the squirrel never
leaves his side.
Soldiers in Belarious found the feeble baby squirrel and brought
him to Pankratau, who was their warrant officer. Pankratau took in
the tiny squirrel, feeding it like a baby every four hours until it
returned to health.
"He was lying unconscious under the tree. There were worms in
his mouth and right eye, I took them out. However, two weeks later
everything got back to normal. I fed him with baby food and milk
through a syringe ... Then his teeth came out and he started eating
himself. Half a year later I vaccinated and registered
him,"
The squirrel, dubbed Minsk, stayed with Pankratau throughout his
military service. Now, two years since the rescue, the pair
continues to be inseparable.
Pankratau has left the army and works as a cab driver. Minsk is
never too far from him, taking up the role of assistant cab
driver.
Minsk is very well trained and keeps to his designated
areas in the cab, lying in his bed on the dashboard or peeking at
Pankratau through the wheel.
"I don't show him to everyone. I mean, what's the
point? Why disturbing him all the time? I show him to kids,"
Pankratau said.
Check out these totally adorable photos of Pankratau and
Minsk:
