Police in the German city of Karlsruhe have rushed to help a man being followed by a baby squirrel after he made an emergency call, saying the little creature would not let him go.

"Help, I am being pursued by a squirrel," the man told Karlsruhe police emergency services.

Officers sent a patrol car to investigate the situation after he placed the call on Thursday morning (local time).

Police said the squirrel was separated from its mother and looking for a new home.

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"It often happens that squirrels which have lost their mothers look for a replacement and then focus their efforts on one person," The Guardian quoted police spokeswoman Christina Krenz as saying.

She said the animals could be "very persistent, not just running behind someone, but entirely fixated on them."

"It can be pretty scary … the man didn't know what to do and so he called the police… he was certainly feeling a bit threatened."

The police, however, seemed to have been amused by the rescue mission.

"Squirrel becomes our new mascot, christened Karl-Friedrich," the police reported.

"The squirrel has fallen asleep because of fright," they added.

Police took the squirrel into police custody, and then to an animal rescue centre.

Police said the animal was well looked after.