Confessions of a devoted squirrel lover / The little charmers are smart and fast but benefit from rescue, rehab efforts

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Ihave it bad. I am over the moon, infatuated, even a shade obsessed. I got a hint how serious this whole crushed leather thing is, one evening, as I waited for my girl outside her Yoga class. There I was, squatting in the dark, sifting through clay illuminated by the lame radio beam of a flashlight, searching for acorns. Of course, disbursement the former fall twenty-four hours rattling tree subdivisions and hunting walnuts in earth-colored hemorrhoid of leaves of absence should've been a hint.

I am nuts for squirrels!

It definitely wasn't love at first sight. They have got run the wires, and scampered over the fencing in my pace for years. For decades, I ignored them. As so often happens, though, my bosom stirred and opened to these small critters thanks to a matcher of extraordinary ability. Lila Travis, manager of Ygdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue, gently, irresistibly introduced me to the delectation of fox squirrels. She did it in a topographic point well suited to love affair - her cosy life room in the Oakland hills, the first halt for orphaned babe squirrels delivered to the organisation for rehab and ultimate release into their natural environment.

Looking back, I am surprised Cupid's pointer did not hit me immediately.

After all, how could the squirming package of guiltless squirrel babies nestling in Lila's lap, or the minute mammal, warmed by stopping point skin-to-skin contact, snuggling her, neglect to enchant me? How could my emotions not swell as my daughter, who accompanied me on this warm afternoon, took her bend eating a sweet foundling with a bantam bottle of specialised formula? Sure, they were cute, but still I felt neutral, overall, immune to their charms.

Then came Lila's absorbing facts. You know, those "did you know" choice morsels of information that inevitably corded your interest? Like the fact that squirrels are natural gardeners. During their nut and seed gathering, squirrels works 70 percentage of the world's deciduous forests. And they are picky. They can odor through 3 ins of soil to observe icky nuts, and icky in the shell just won't do. They also make a heck of a occupation as composters. You cognize when you happen a partially eaten apple at the alkali of the tree? There is a ground for that. Squirrels instinctively munch and mulch, leaving adequate fruit behind to nourish seeds that, hopefully, will take root.

And speech production of trees, I now cognize how of import it is to program tree pruning around squirrel coupling and lying-in seasons. Christmastide Marks the start of tribunal and trip time, babes arriving 45 years later. Mid-February to April, babe squirrel baby's rooms are full, definitely not the clip to be lopping off tree subdivisions and destroying Byzantine nests. The 1 to three babes usually born nurse for four calendar months - a long, legal tender mother-child relationship. Mothered babe squirrels are unagitated and cuddly; but, according to Lila, their physical, and emotional, wellness endures when they are orphaned - upon rescue, they can exhibit the undeniable symptoms of depression.

Healthy, happy, unafraid squirrels, on the other hand, can be existent teases. Oh, be quiet the whipping of my heart. They are fast, and they are smart. Smart enough to cognize that true cats do great marks for territorial vocal effusions and brazen shows of catch-me-if-you-can taunts. I witnessed this in my backyard as our occupant squirrel dashed and danced before Brenda, our cat, who followed in speedy pursuit, only to inevitably lose the race to the fencing - over and over and over again. Somehow, squirrels cognize true cats are easy fodder for playful stunts. Fast, but not quite fast enough.

Dogs are another story. Dogs killing squirrels. Just a mouthful of squirrel tail in an aggressive dog's mouth, can turn out fatal to the "de-gloved" mammal. Squirrels depend on their dress suit for survival. Dress Suit protect squirrels from rainfall and supply shade. Squirrels usage their dress suit to communicate, warn of marauders and for high-wire reconciliation acts. They conceal behind their dress suit when they are feeling tentative, like a yearling behind Mommy's skirt.

And their dress suit don't turn back.

Perhaps this explicates why I recently establish myself chasing a domestic dog that was chasing a squirrel - while directing not very ladylike linguistic communication at the owner, who sat on a bench across the park, laughing as his out-of-control beast hurled itself at the low tree where the miserable squirrel took refuge. My ferocious defence confirmed my undeniable passionateness for these singular animals.

But I believe my love matter with squirrels really started to flower calendar months earlier, shortly after my personal introduction on Lila's couch. It happened on a summertime afternoon spent in contemplative meditation, sharing the blissfulness of a lazy, sun-dappled minute with my squirrelly companion. There he was, sprawled full length on the curved subdivision of the Chinese Hackberry tree in my presence yard. His caput lolled as he rested his cheek on his barky pillow, his presence legs hung limply over each side of his woody bed, his hind legs stretched behind. I sat on my presence stairway and we gazed at each other for 10 proceedings or more. I don't cognize about him, but I felt a complete sense of surrender, contentment and serenity.

Knowing what I knew about squirrels, thanks to Lila, I was full of wonderment and appreciation. I was, I bloom to state it, thoroughly smitten, with this smart, helpful, sleepy-eyed (with one oculus open) small cat who shares my yard. Squirrels have got made a tidy small nest in my heart; I am harvest home nuts for them (donated to YUWR), defending them, spreading the word and spreading the love. How to assist

By law, rehabilitated squirrels must be released within 3 statute miles of where they were rescued. Ygdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue is always seeking foster-family paces for squirrels. The paces should be free of domestic dogs and as far as possible from busy streets. Stephen Foster households must be willing to have got little wooden release army huts attached to trees, and, duplicating natural conditions, supply nutrient for foraging at the alkali of the trees during the little passage time period between rehab to the wild.

Rehab centre military volunteers and contributions are also welcome.

Call (510) 421-9897 or travel to

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