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Spring has been a rough one for our local baby squirrel population. With late snow storms and high speed winds, many young squirrels were thrown from their nests and left on their own, too young to fend for themselves.
"The squirrels we're seeing are ones that are too young to be away from the nest but unfortunately too large for the mother squirrel to carry up the tree and put back into the nest," said Animal Control Supervisor,
Kathy KasaKaitas.
After each major storm we received multiple reports from community members concerned about the baby squirrels they had found. Our Animal Control Officers worked diligently to help the baby squirrels that required intervention. In fact, they had responded to so many reports that our regular wildlife room was overflowing, and could not provide the space needed for the amount of baby squirrels and other wildlife coming in.
They began setting up tables and lining up crates and kennels next to each other, on top of each other, and anywhere there was space to make sure we could continue to take care of these orphaned squirrels. At one point our facility housed over 40 baby squirrels in addition to other wildlife. It was then dubbed, "Squirrel City" for obvious reasons.
Most of the baby squirrels required bottle feeding every few hours. Staff members and volunteers stepped in to help Animal Control make sure each baby got a second chance at survival.
And while we still receive calls each week about baby squirrels, it seems to be slowing down. Now, many of Squirrel City's residents have matured enough to be moved to our outdoor enclosure where they have more space to run, eat, and well, be a squirrel! Once old enough, they will be returned to their natural habitat.
Our mission is and always has been to actively promote the humane treatment of animals and positive human-animal relationships. We strive to be a resource to our community and a go-to place to learn about animal care, welfare, ethics and treatment. Squirrel City is a perfect demonstration of our commitment to the mission of CRHS.
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