Vancouver Island squirrel siblings trapped by tree sap recovered, released
Posted October 22, 2020 7:11 pm.
Last Updated October 22, 2020 7:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SAANICH (NEWS 1130) — Four young squirrel siblings found trapped in a woman’s yard, their tails stuck together by sticky tree sap, have recovered from their ordeal and been released back into the wild on Vancouver Island.
Dr. Andrea Wallace, Animal Welfare Manager, with the BC SPCA says the sap melted duing the day, and then solidified overnight ensnaring the eastern grey squirrels.
“What we suspect happened is the squirrels were running around when the sap was liquid, getting it in their fur, then at night it solidified while they were nesting,” she says.
Wallace adds it appears the squirrels tried to move around in the tree but then fell to the ground, where they became ensnared in the grass.
Volunteers from the Victoria Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre were called in to help.
“The rehab team got to work immediately. It took them over an hour to carefully separate the squirrels’ tails without injuring them further – they had likely been stuck together overnight, and had tried chewing themselves free,” according to a post on the BC SPCA website.
“The squirrels were exhausted and stressed after their ordeal, and were kept warm and in a quiet place to allow them to stabilize before full exams were performed to fully assess the extent of their injuries.”
Sadly, one of the squirrels had to be euthanized due to the seriousness of its injuries.
The other four squirrels lost some or all of their tails.
“Before surgery, our senior rehab team worked closely with a wildlife veterinarian to confirm the squirrels would be able to live full lives without a portion of their tails,” the website says.
“A tail does help with their balance, Wallace explains. “But they can adjust and we gave them lots of time in an outdoor enclosure to get used to their new situation.”
The volunteer who first freed the squirrels released them back into the wild.
“The four squirrels were given the time necessary in the enclosures to learn to navigate their surroundings while transitioning to a new life with partial tails. Once they had shown they were completely healthy and had adapted regular squirrel behavior, they were released. The releases went very well and the squirrels seemed very eager to leave their kennels and get back home to their natural habitat.”
Donations to help pay for the squirrels’ care poured in, and the goal of $2,995 was quickly surpassed. The extra money will go to help the organization care for other wild animals.
“Those are the really rewarding stories,” Wallace says. “It’s why we do this.
