Bispgården, Jämtland, Sweden

Jul 22, 2021 6:15 AM

covphotos149443 (RM)

Geert Weggen/Cover-Images/Newscom

4540 x 3643 Color JPEG

natural world, quirky, weird, amazing, offbeat, interesting, cool, animal, animals, news, and finally, viral, cute, wild, wildlife, nature, photography, picture, photo, photographer, fun, funny, humour, humorous

No Model Release, No Property Release

Ready for the Olympics? These sporty squirrels certainly are. These hilarious images are the work of animal photographer Geert Weggen. He creates quirky scenes by placing tiny props and getting garden squirrels to interact. The 52-year-old from Bispgarden, Sweden, explains: "For many years I did not see big sport events, but when the Euro football tournament was almost towards an end, I started to see some matches and liked it. But it was too late to do a squirrel series and so I thought that I would do an Olympic series instead, because I had about 3 weeks left for this event. “There about 10 different squirrels, both young and old ones. To make them trust me, most of the time I move slowly and be very quiet. I show up often so that they get used to me. Also, in not giving them attention sometimes and doing other things, that can make them curious. And food helps, of course. When they understand that I am the one putting out food, the trust comes easier. “I would say the boxing set-up is my favourite. I had this idea for years and made the props and bought the gloves many years ago, but never started to work at it I never saw this idea before in photography, and that made my choice.” Where: Bispgården, Jämtland, Sweden When: 12 Jul 2021 Credit: Geert Weggen/Cover-Images.com **MANDATORY CREDIT: Geert Weggen/Cover-Images.com. Only for use in this story. Editorial Use Only. No stock, books, advertising or merchandising without photographer's permission**