Squirrel comically mystified by elastic band around his peanut prank

This cheeky little red squirrel is named "Peanut", for reasons that are not hard to imagine. He loves peanuts in the shell and he has learned that the family who lives on his island have an ample supply. Peanut has become very accustomed to coming up on the porch all day long and searching for peanuts in the shell. Sometimes he will eat them right there and sometimes he will scamper off to store them where he can eat them later.Show more

Peanut's island is a remote spot on Parry Sound, Ontario. In the heart of Canada's cottage country, it's a remote and quiet spot where life progresses at a leisurely pace. The lake has very few boats and there are only a handful of cottages along the shores. It's a glimpse of nature that has not changed much in hundreds of years. There is very little boat traffic on the lake, and Peanut's only exposure to humans is the kind family that speaks to him when he appears and keeps the supply of peanuts coming. He has grown quite comfortable scampering around at their feet and he will sit and demand more peanuts by squawking at them in a very cheeky way. Mornings begin with Peanut sitting on the deck railing, chirping away noisily until somebody feeds him.

Since it seems that Peanut has a sense of humour about early morning wakeup calls, it also seemed likely that he has a sense of humour about other things. His human friends decided to test this out with a little trick. They attached an elastic band to the peanut and then strung it through the slit in the deck. Attached to a small stick under the deck, the peanut could be pulled only so far before it was pulled back.

Peanut is very perplexed by this and he struggles comically with the peanut, pulling and stretching the elastic band. He spins around in all directions and then stares at the cottage door, adorably confused. In frustration, he stamps his feet a little. When he begins to chew on the deck board with his razor sharp teeth, it was conceded that he had won this round. Before he could gnaw through the board and cause serious damage, his people friends replaced the attached peanuts with loose ones and let him have his treat. Peanut seemed to forgive the ruse and he continued his routine, as usual.