A mischievous squirrel named Frank has turned a 10-acre Indiana garden center into his own personal playground, and the employees have officially had enough.
Dammann’s Greenhouse in Speedway, Indiana, has plants, merchandise and plenty of space for customers to explore. It also has Frank, an unwanted resident known for stealing, destroying products and causing trouble wherever he goes.
According to staff members, Frank regularly helps himself to plants and damages merchandise as he wanders around the greenhouse like he owns the place.
Even the garden center’s resident orange cat, who might normally be expected to handle unwanted pests, refuses to confront him.
Employees joke that Frank has “evil in his heart,” and the cat apparently wants no part of the fearless squirrel.
Staff members have reportedly tried relocating Frank, but he always manages to find his way back inside and resume his life of destruction and petty theft.
At this point, employees appear to have accepted that Frank is no longer simply living at Dammann’s Greenhouse. He may actually be running it.
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The greenhouse summed up its feelings in the caption of a recent video with three blunt words: “We hate Frank.”
Viewers quickly embraced the troublemaking squirrel and joked that the staff had already made a major mistake by giving him a name.
“Oh, you named him. You know the rules. If he has a name, he lives there,” one person commented.
Dammann’s Greenhouse responded with an even funnier explanation.
“We didn’t name him. It was on his business card: ‘Frank the Squirrel: Professional Birdseed Thief,’” the business joked.
Although Frank’s behavior may seem unusually bold, squirrels can become surprisingly comfortable around people.
The intelligent rodents are capable of remembering reliable food sources and can learn that humans, yards, parks and businesses may provide easy access to nuts, seeds and shelter.
Garden centers are especially inviting because they offer plants, trees, hiding places and plenty of opportunities for a determined squirrel to get into trouble.
Squirrels have also become increasingly accustomed to human activity as neighborhoods and businesses expand into their natural habitats.
That may help explain why Frank seems completely unfazed by employees, customers and even the greenhouse cat.
Judging by his repeated returns, the professional birdseed thief has no intention of giving up his rent-free home anytime soon.