A group of baby red squirrels survived the recent windy conditions when they were thrown from their nest as the aftermath of Hurricane Katia hit the UK.

The infant red squirrels, known as kittens, were thrown from their nest in woodland near Northumberland and found by locals who took them to the Sanctuary Wildlife Care Centre in Ulgham.

They were nursed back to health by volunteer Eileen Welsh who fed them regularly with goat's milk.

"I began feeding them every two-and-a-half to three hours till their last feed at 11pm. Then I'm up again at 6am to start all over again. My life is pretty much governed by them at the moment. It takes a lot of time." she told the BBC.

The red squirrel is a native of Britain but the American grey squirrel has taken over as the dominant species and disease in the form of the squirrel poxvirus has reduced numbers. According to the Forestry Commission there are only 140,000 red squirrels left in Britain compared with over 2.5 million greys. Reds can be found in dense woodland areas of the Isle of Wight, Brownsea Island, the north of England, Wales, and Scotland.

See a video of the squirrels from Channel 4 News

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aofy4cLF494&]


Main image: Channel 4 News