AN EDINBURGH bloke has issued a hilarious warning to locals after an overly friendly squirrel climbed his leg in an attempt to get into his pockets.
The unnamed man was strolling through Princes Street Gardens on Friday when he claims he was accosted by the rowdy rodent.
The squirrel reportedly tried to empty his pockets, prompting the shocked local to snap a photo to warn others of the dangers posed by the thieving mammal, which is part of a large population in the city accustomed to human presence.
Dozens of locals shared similar stories of the overly friendly squirrels sitting on shoulders and climbing legs in exchange for snacks.
The image captured by the man shows the squirrel midway up his leg, climbing towards his pockets in an attempt to empty them.
The man claimed to be minding his own business when the squirrel approached him with malicious intent.
The rodent proceeded to run up his leg with the man warning locals it tried to “rob” him, providing no further details.
In a post to social media on Friday the man said: “Beware of the robbery at Princes Street Gardens. Almost got robbed by one of these.”
The post received over 3,000 likes and more than 50 comments from locals who shared stories of their own encounters with the criminal rodents.
One user joked: “They stole my wife and three kids when I was visiting last month. Bit of a s***er really.”
Another replied: “They’ll sit on your shoulder if you give them a peanut. I used to work near the gardens and we’d all have a few in our pockets in case they showed up.
“They’d climb up our legs, or sit as we worked. Tourists loved it. This was a few years ago though, so not sure how they are now.”
A third commented: “Throw it chestnuts or peanuts, it’s the only way to survive.”
Another added: “They’re pretty shameless – I used to have one of the little larcenists steal food from my kitchen, in a 3rd floor flat.
“It would jump to the windowsill from a nearby tree branch (a fairly scary distance too), until that got lopped off.”
A fifth wrote: “Yeah, got to avoid the Edinburgh squirrels, wearing their hoodies and doing wheelies up and down the tram tracks on Princes Street when they’re not throwing bottles of Irn Bru at yer heid (sic).”
