A BABY squirrel found nesting a sheep’s fleece has been released back into the wild.

The animal was discovered snuggled up in the thick wool of a Herdwick sheep earlier this year.

The eight-week-old squirrel was taken in by Rosie Catford, who runs Wildlives Wildlife Rescue Centre in Thorrington.

“The woman went out to check her sheep and saw the fleece moving – she found it was the baby squirrel,” said Rosie.

“We have a lot of baby squirrels here and she brought it in to us.

“He was underweight, dehydrated and starving – squirrels can’t find much food on a sheep”

“It is a very unusual place to find one.”

The youngster was hand-reared and has now been released back into the wild.