Giving baby squirrels and other injured wildlife a second chance [View all]

[Jilly_in_VA]

In a nondescript warehouse in Washington, D.C., wedged between a community garden and the Metro train tracks, more than a dozen baby squirrels fill cages in an uncomfortably warm room. A noise machine pumps out forest sounds under the fluorescent lights.

Some squirrels nap in hammocks, cuddled up in furry piles. Others cling to the cages' wire, peering out.

Right now, it's baby squirrel season in much of the country. Spring is when many wild animals start having their offspring, which means it's a busy time for the people charged with rehabilitating animals that are injured or orphaned.

Animal care staffers here at the nonprofit City Wildlife spend much of their time these days hand-feeding baby squirrels.

"We could tell them apart because we paint their ears different colors," says Alessandra Flores, one of the staffers here. She reaches into a cage to grab a squirrel with ears painted pink. Then she holds the animal with one hand while offering it a tiny syringe with a soft nipple on the end, filled with specially formulated squirrel formula.

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/21/1244845371/giving-baby-squirrels-and-other-injured-wildlife-a-second-chance

Heaven bless these people. We need all our wild critters to maintain our home. I had a friend, now deceased, who was a wildlife rehabber. She was amazing.