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 Belarus 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.
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"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," Pankratau told Euro Radio.
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:
Photos courtesy of Sodahead.
H/T: Reddit