Desperate Squirrel Brings Her Babies To The One Place They Can Get Help

desperate squirrel brings her babies to the one place they can get help [Music] some animal species just don't make good pets yeah dogs and cats are always up for a belly rub and cuddle session but some of nature's more untamed beasts of earned reputations as generally bad roommates but does that mean that these animals can never fit in at home when a young motherless critter found its way into the care of two wildlife rescuers the human duo did their best to give the wild and non domesticated animal a chance to live they didn't realize however they were about to embark on a heartwarming journey that thousands would follow online if you found a mother squirrel leaving her two newborns on your bed before disappearing into the night what would you do a New York man recently faced this dilemma when he found a family of baby squirrels making a nest inside his house a bit shocked to say the least he had no idea what to do these little ones were so small they couldn't even open their eyes yet luckily their mom was around for a little bit at least mother squirrel visited them frequently at first feeding her babies and building a nest outside but at some point she stopped returning here the man was with the two baby squirrels on his bed he felt responsible for them not knowing how to take care of baby squirrels the man called wildlife rescue who arrived quickly to assess the state of the babies fully aware they would not survive without the mother the rescuers decided to intervene since there's only one official rehabilitation center in the city the majority of wildlife rescue was done on a volunteer basis local rehab er arena Hinson says she rescues about 75 squirrels per year and during busy breeding periods in the summer and spring juggles up to 40 animals at a time we're really seeing the impact of climate change with the seasons going way longer Pinzon said the first year it happened we thought it was just an odd thing but it turns out we're not we still get small babies in October when the season should be over at the beginning of September wildlife rescuer Christina rays and her husband Michael took it upon themselves to take care of the squirrels one of the babies was already weakened and didn't make it very much longer with the remaining squirrel meat the same fate all baby squirrels are born deaf and blind normally opening their eyes at around five weeks old but this baby squirrel even after six weeks wasn't opening her eyes yet but against all odds the baby lived through her first few months in this world the couple had talked about wanting babies themselves and completely fell in love with the squirrel while nursing her back to health she was unfit to go back out in the real world so they adopted her there are people who think if the animal can't survive outside it should be put down and we decided that wasn't going to be an option said Michel the squirrels new dad there's nothing physically or mentally wrong with her she's just different they named their new best friend Thumbelina after a fairy tale by the famous Danish children's book author Hans Christian Andersen it's about a girl no bigger than a thumb who must find her way through the woods Thumbelina is the first squirrel to become a household pet in the 1700s pet squirrels were all the rage when Mungo the pet squirrel of Benjamin Franklin's good friend got loose and was killed by a dog Franklin wrote I lament with you most sincerely the unfortunate end of poor Mungo few squirrels were better accomplished usually squirrels tend to run around jump from tree to tree and have high amounts of energy that could become problematic in a household however Thumbelina had never met another squirrel that she could remember her only influences were Kristina and Michael so she walked slowly and stayed seated most the time noticing her lack of squirrel nests thumbelina's human parents tried to introduce her to others of her kind but she was not a fan of it at all and didn't see herself in her fellow squirrels I don't know what she thinks she is her parents said but she definitely is not a squirrel he despite not having any other squirrel friends Thumbelina a now two year old Eastern grey squirrel as of 2018 is having the time of her life living with Kristina and Michael in fact one could say that she's living her best life Thumbelina has practically turned into a stay at home human being she watches TV cuddles up in blankets and even dresses up in costumes that her mom hand makes for when the weather's nice enough for thumbelina's tastes chill sometimes go out with her mom in either a bag or on a leash she won't even do any dirty business in the bag because she is fully potty-trained and listens to her parents well most of them despite Cristina and Michael loving her with all their hearts raising Thumbelina is neither easy nor cheap according to Cristina the company spent over ten thousand dollars towards thumbs care over the past two years there must have been a few vet bills but where's the rest of all that money going in an attempt to earn some money back for more thumbelina's needs Cristina has set up several social media accounts for thumb which have taken off like Rockets on these accounts she promotes the sale of Thumbelina t-shirts keychains and other types of merchandise the cute photos on Thumbelina social media pages are highly enjoyable but what's most important is that she's both healthy and happy everyone seems glad that she was adopted and recovered including Cristina and Michael and all of thumbelina's fans and for the most part squirrels tackle their day-to-day lives without much human interaction you can expect them to scurry up and down trees bury some nuts and make chattering noises other squirrels however completely rewrite the book on squirrely wounded by an owl at just four weeks old this squirrel ended up in the care of Brantley Harrison as a professional rehabilitator for wounded wild animals the arrival of this female squirrel in 2009 was just another day on the job the family even named her Bella Brantley raised Bella alongside three other squirrels Larry Moe and Curly and fed them fruits and veggies all throughout the long winter in the spring of 2010 when the squirrels were healthy enough Brantley released them back into the wild as usual more often than not when Brantley sent her rehabilitated animals back into the forest able to live on their own for the first time in their lives she'd see them periodically over the next week or so then they'd be gone forever but Bella did something different at first Bella returned looking for some treats to the Harrison that was par for the course an animal rehabilitation of course it would take time for Bella to get used to life on her own except time after time Bella kept coming back now eight years after she was rescued Bella still returns to the Ariston household regularly Bella sits right in front of the door waiting for someone to notice she's come by for a visit Brantley told wyff 4 News but why is this scroll become so attached that one's behavior was a bit strange after all while she was in Brantley's care she hadn't been particularly lovey the family hadn't done anything special either they treated her just like every other squirrel still other squirrels didn't keep returning like Bella no it doesn't like to be patted she doesn't ask for belly rubs or tail brushing all she wants is a little attention in fact their essence make sure to have some walnuts on hand in case she becomes hungry squirrel has another pastime too she comes almost daily for a little loving treats and to torment our dog Sid through the glass door Riley said you can see just how badly Sid wants out besides her general propensity for being adorable Bella has another trait that's made her a sensation Bella likes wearing hats so much in fact that she doesn't mind wearing one well cameras are rolling I can't believe she let me do it Brantley said I could not love this girl any more than I already do Brantley started chronicling the adventures of Bella the squirrel on an Instagram account called Sid and Bella many of the photographs consist of Bella sitting in laps wearing hats and chomping on nuts truly the perfect life recently Bella's relationship with the Harrisons even paid off for her in a big way when she injured her foot and needed some help again luckily she had somewhere to turn for assistance unfortunately even injured Bella was not easy to recapture on one Instagram post Brantley wrote my first view attempts at catching her have failed she lived in the wild for over eight years so she's a smart squirrel and it's not easy to trick her finally the family managed to catch Bella and bring her back into their home for some rehab they gave her antibiotics and a comfortable cage right before they released Bella back into the wild though she surprised the family again inside the Harrison family home ballad gave birth to three little baby squirrels after raising in nursing Bella the Harrisons got to see her raising and nursing children of her own it was truly amazing to watch the baby I raised raised her own babies Brantley said Bella was so special to the Harrisons family that she actually changed people's perception of squirrels she's a very special squirrel and has always had a large local following currently said she's changed the way many of my friends think of squirrels sometimes it's easy to think of squirrels as bushy-tailed rats but if nothing else Bella story shows that squirrels are capable of love and dedication on par with some of the most beloved house pets they're animals that should be shown love and compassion that's a sentiment Brantley echoed if Bella can teach at least one person have compassion for all living things no matter how big or how small she said then we've done what we've set out to do so the next time you see a squirrel in your neighborhood remember that these little creatures might surprise you in fact with enough love and care they might reward you with a kiss on the cheek they might even give you a kiss on the lips Tharus and family had no idea they were starting a decade-long friendship when they took in Bella back in 2009 but sometimes surprises come in bushy tail packages [Music]