The Greggs store in Pitlochry has been shut after a red squirrel became trapped inside.
The animal made its way into the store on Atholl Road on Saturday with the shop closing at 3pm that afternoon.
Staff contacted the Scottish SPCA but due to no one being available to attend until Monday, and hoping the animal would leave on its own, the takeaway has been forced to close while it awaits rescue.
The animal must be taken away by a specialist as it is a protected species.
It has not yet been confirmed when the store will reopen or how the squirrel came to be in the shop.
‘We’re making sure the squirrel is rescued’
A spokesman for Greggs said: “Greggs in Pitlochry is closed on Monday due to a red squirrel being found in the shop.
“We’re making sure the squirrel is rescued and let back into the woodland.
“Once the shop has been thoroughly cleaned, the shop will reopen as normal.”
A Scottish SPCA spokesperson said: “We were initially contacted about a squirrel in the roof of a premises in Pitlochry on Saturday.
“As the squirrel was very high up in the rafters we advised the member of the public to leave an exit for the squirrel in the hope the animal would come down of their own accord.
“Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case and a member of our animal rescue team is now in the process of trying to gain access to the shop to assess the situation.”
Resident Shona Rollo, who took the photos of the squirrel inside Greggs, said: “My children and I watched him/her for a while, which actually was a real treat.
“They are just beautiful animals and not always easy to see close up.
“Hopefully the wee thing is back in the wild soon.”
The news has spread across the town and the squirrel has become something of a local celebrity.
On social media, Pitlochry High School shared pictures of the animal and branded the incident “nuts!”
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