Tree shrew rescued after getting stuck in wall drain pipe at Bukit Timah home gives birth in Acres' care

Pregnancy may explain why this poor tree shrew got stuck in a drainage pipe.

On June 2, Facebook user Ng Suan Eng shared her encounter with the native mammal, which she found trapped inside a weep hole in her backyard retaining wall.

"It was half dead and exhausted after struggling to survive the whole day," she wrote.

Ng called the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) to rescue the tree shrew, and praised their efforts.

"After feeding it with some water, it became conscious, and the team used oil, carefully and patiently pulled it out eventually," she wrote. "Grateful to have these guardian angels of our wildlife."

Lianhe Zaobao reported that the incident took place at Ng's home near Rifle Range Nature Park in Bukit Timah.

Ng, 80, told the Chinese daily that she had first spotted two shrews darting around her backyard while she was having breakfast that morning, but around 5pm, her domestic helper heard sharp shrieks coming from the background and found one of them stuck.

The retiree believes it may have been stuck there since the morning and exhausted its strength struggling to break free.

She didn't want to risk injury trying to free it, so she called Acres and tried to give it water in the meantime, after which it appeared more alert.

Acres meanwhile asked her to try and feed it fruits like bananas or apples so it could regain strength.

Acres arrived 30 minutes later with a cage, and put a towel around the animal before lubricating it with cooking oil.

"After 15 minutes of effort, the staff finally rescued the tree shrew. They were very professional and patient throughout," Ng told the news outlet.

After being covered in oil, the animal even started twisting its body to try and break free anew.

"Seeing it struggle with energy, everyone thought it was a good sign," Ng said.

Acres told Ng that they would monitor the tree shrew's health before releasing it back into the wild.

Surprise baby

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, Acres shared that it had received a call to rescue a rodent-like animal stuck in a drainage pipe in a wall on June 2 and confirmed it to be a tree shrew on arrival.

Two rescuers initially attempted to gently guide it out, and then used cooking oil as a lubricant to safely free it.

Acres suspects that the animal may have been trying to find a safe place to give birth when it got stuck, as it had a baby shortly after arriving at their facility.

The mother and baby tree shrews are now under Acres' care and supervision and will be released back into the wild when their health is stable.

Ng, meanwhile, is jubilant over the "happy ending".

Members of the public who encounter wild animals in distress can contact the Acres wildlife rescue hotline at 97837782 for assistance.

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drimac@asiaone.com