Take RAT! Moment Red Squirrel kills helpless rodent after face-off on tree branch when it dared to intrude on its territory
- These are the last moments of a rat who died following a fight with a red squirrel in Blairgowrie, Perthshire
- Amateur wildlife photographer Jock Elliott had planned to spend the day documenting Red Squirrels
- The Red Squirrel is an endangered species throughout much of Britain, though not on that particular branch
- Mr Elliott claimed that the rat fell approximately five feet from the branch to its death after the brief fight
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These dramatic photos show the final moments of a young rat which dared to traipse on a red squirrel’s territory.
The shocking scenes unfolded on the branch of a tree when two rodents had a face off – which led to the rat’s tragic death.
The rat, believed to be around a year old, had imposed on the red squirrel several times, before the squirrel ‘let him have it’ and bit the aggressor causing it to plunge to its death.
These are the final moments of a small rat who was killed after climbing on a branch in Blairgowire, Perthshire
The rat came face to face with a red squirrel on the branch who refused to yield its position on top of the branch
Jock Elliott, 72, was planning to spend his afternoon taking photographs of red squirrels when he witnessed the drama
Grandfather-of-one Jock Elliott, 72, was stunned to watch the conflict unfold in peaceful Blairgowrie, Perthshire.
Mr Elliott said: ‘The squirrel took umbrage at the rat following him up.
‘The squirrel had looked at it a few times and kept brushing him off, then it got too close and then it turned round and let it have it.
‘It only lasted around ten seconds.
‘The rat fell about five feet and then died.
‘It looked quite young, less than a year old I’d have thought.
‘He wasn’t a happy chappy, the rat got a wee bit too close.’
Mr Elliott, an amateur wildlife photographer from Brechin, Angus, had expected a quiet day photographing red squirrels.
He added: ‘I’ve been there many times before but never seen anything like that before.’
The rat was unable to fend off the much larger rodent in this battle of life and death on top of the branch of a tree
Within a few seconds of battle commencing, the rat is dangling over the edge of its branch and moments from death