A scurry of squirrels are now romping free in the wild after healing at the hands of staff at the BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre in Metchosin.
The handful of young red squirrels came in a couple batches last month. One near-hairless baby was found after his mother was killed by a car while carrying him. Wild ARC typically sees one or two baby red squirrels every other year, so when a group of three showed up a few days later, the team was surprised.
Cold, dehydrated and covered in fleas, the team figures they crawled out of their nest looking for food after their mother didn’t return.
READ ALSO: Baby squirrel finds new family at West Shore wildlife rehab
The team’s optimism the young critters would heal as a unit was happily rewarded with a release into the wild recently.
“We’re so happy to share that they all were successfully released back to their wild home,” the agency announced on social media, sharing a video of the squirrels while in care.
“They were everything a wildlife rehabilitator could hope for - young, wild and free. So wild, we couldn’t get a release photo, but we’re so glad to know their wild spirits will serve them well back home.”
christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca
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