Tia Powell has been dubbed the “squirrel whisperer” by internet users after a desperate mother squirrel approached her for help with her injured baby.

Tia was out for a walk on a trail in Kiwanis Park, Virginia recently when a squirrel suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked her path. Tia was nervous at first, as she did not know if the squirrel was aggressive or not, but she quickly got comfortable and continued on her way. However, as soon as Tia tried to walk away, the squirrel made it clear that she did not want her to go. In fact, the animal ran right up to her and began tugging on her pant leg.

It quickly became apparent to Tia that the squirrel wanted something from her, so she started looking around to see what was going on. It was only then that she noticed an injured baby squirrel laying right off the path of the trail. It appeared to Tia that the baby had been injured by a stray cat, and realizing that the mother squirrel wanted her to do something, Tia moved the baby further off the path an into the foliage.

Once Tia had done this, she tried to walk away a second time, but the mother squirrel was not having any of it. Tia was stunned to look back and see the two squirrels following her, with the baby limping along despite it’s injuries.

Tia stopped for a second time and fed the squirrels a sandwich she had packed to bring with her. Once they were fed, the squirrels tried to climb a nearby tree, and the baby was clearly struggling to scale the bark. Saddened by this, Tia decided to call a friend at the local Humane Society to ask for backup.

“In their defense, I did sound like a crazy lady saying the squirrels wouldn’t let me leave,” Tia said. “But they showed up and assisted as much as they could. We were able to get the baby and mother to a different area with more trees and it was able to climb all the way up and they looked very happy.”

The Pulaski Police Department ended up posting a video of what happened online, writing that it was something “that you would’ve had to see to believe!”

“Had Tia not been willing to trust her instincts that something was wrong, this might have had a very different ending!” the police department added.

The department went on to say that they had called several wildlife rescue centers and rehabilitation facilities, but there had been “several issues at hand and the baby was unable to be transported.” That being said, Tia returned to the same spot days later with her children, and she reportedly saw the two squirrels staring at her from the safety of a nearby tree.

Check out the rescue for yourself below.