My daughter rescued a baby squirrel from being pecked to death by a crow today. The crow had stolen the baby from it drey and had dropped it en route to wherever it was headed to eat it. The laws have changed in the UK and it is illegal to raise it and/or release it back into the wild. I understand why. Our only hope was to find a sanctuary where they’re not allowed to be released but have to live in the sanctuary fro the rest of their lives, which is about 10 years in captivity. The alternative is to hand it over to the RSPCA who will likely destroy it if a sanctuary can’t be found. I’ve been Googling for any sanctuary’s that have room but have not yet found one so it’s unlikely that the RSPCA will know of any either. It’s possible but unlikely. Does anyone reading this know of any wildlife sanctuaries that have a space for a 6 week old squirrel? I feel so sad. It’s looking like the only space for him/her will be in heaven. The RSPCA are visiting my daughter tomorrow, so time is running out for this littl’un.
I’m off to bed now after 5 hours of trying to find a sanctuary. I have a couple to ring after 9am so I’ll let you know what happens.
I would have if I could have but, it’s illegal here in the UK and he was very young and needed specialist assistance. I had to be careful where I placed him as they are euthanised by RSPCA, Vets and Wildlife Animal Hospitals. I managed to place him with a woman who is an expert with squirrels. She owns a lot of private woodland, so he will have a happy life if he can get past the next few days. The alternatives were nowhere near as good for him as this. I’m crossing my fingers this lady will be able to save him as he was having difficulty rehydrating. He will be with other squirrels, which is best for lone youngsters such as he. I am absolutely knackered though. Trying to place him, I was on the phone for many hours including through the night. Early night for me tonight.
Red squirrels, I believe, are more common in the UK, but in the US grey squirrels are more common, and about as dumb as they get. Squirrels just don't come anymore stupid than grey ones, and you can have an adventure with your daughter, by breaking the law and setting it lose, knowing its not going to change the ecological balance.
The Red Squirrel is native to the UK but has been put out of business by the Grey Squirrel. They are descended from ones that escaped from London Zoo many moons ago.
In the US, grey squirrels dominate the south by breeding faster in the warm weather, so your red squirrels and weather should give them a hard time, but global warming is about to change everything.
That is true. We have a small island in Dorset where they are protected. But, they got leprosy once. Now safe once more.
I agree on the idea of keeping it for his daughter. Although they are being culled as a result of endangering our native red squirrels, as a nation of animal lovers, no one is likely to be too bothered about an individual case.
When I lived in the UK the only time I saw a Red squirrel was on the Isle of Wight. Apparently some remote parts of Scotland still have Red Squirrels.
I grew up in Hawaii, where the biggest fear is that brown tree snakes will take over the island. Sometimes they crawl up into the landing gear of planes, but the Hawaiians are swift to track them down and kill them. These snakes will eat every bird, hang out in the trees, drop on people, and bite them with a nonlethal poison. Last time I checked, the island had been taken over by tree frogs, which make enough noise to wake the dead. Its not home anymore.
I wish I could have scratcho, but I simply don’t have the skills or know how to ensure his happiness, or survival even. He wasn’t feeding well and with a squirrel as young as that, it’s very bad news. I messaged the woman this morning and although he is still sleepy, he is feeding well, so will likely survive. Where he went, the woman has other squirrels he can socialise with, and that is crucial for young squirrels. Also, I don’t have access to a woodland where I am. The squirrels around here are particularly vicious with each other due to territorial and food availability issues. As I couldn’t socialise him here, his life may have been miserable. And if I’d kept him locked up in a cage, well, it’s just doesn’t make for a happy squirrel. I cried on saying goodbye to him, but I had to do what was best for him.
Whilst we have red squirrels here, the greys have played a large part in pushing them north and decreasing their numbers, hence the ongoing cull. There are now way more greys than red.
You cannot push them back forever. The mighty Columbia is reduced to a thin yellow stream, the Rocky Mt snowpack is gone, Greenland appears ready to disappear altogether, and rogue fires have broken out in the tundra around the north pole. I've been busting my ass for fifteen years, attempting to find the solution, and have figured out how to automate instant karma, but there's no way to prevent the Tower of Babel from collapsing. I begged mother nature not to do it, but karma is karma, and I'm afraid at least two billion will die before this is over.
