Who were Hurricane Irma’s smallest victims in SC? Baby squirrels
Wanted: Lots of nuts.
No, not the human kind – got plenty of those — but acorns and pecans for a pretty big community of baby squirrels that are being cared for at the Carolina Wildlife Center because of Hurricane Irma’s howdy-do around here several weeks ago.
High winds wreaked havoc on squirrel nests. Some were knocked out of trees altogether. Limbs landed on other nests. Either way, young furry residents went flying.
“Baby squirrels are coming in steady,” said Jay Coles, executive director of the rescue and rehabilitation center at 5551 Bush River Road. “We’ve had 599 squirrels so far this year. Since the storm, 83 have come in.”
He said 180 squirrels are in the center now.
The squirrels range from those whose eyes are not yet open to those whose tails are beginning to fluff out. Coles said many of the little critters are being fed formula through syringes by staff and volunteers.
“They start getting fed at 8 a.m. and they are fed six to seven times a day so our staff basically starts feeding the squirrels in the morning and continues feeding until it’s time to go home.
“We have a mix of different injuries. Bloodied and bruised after they’ve rather forcefully hit the ground or been hit by limbs. Nests are built high in trees, anywhere from 60 feet off the ground. The whole nest will break loose and blow out or a broken limb will bring a nest down with it.”
Coles said the average time baby squirrels are kept at the center is three to four months.
“They get released when they can prove they can feed themselves.”
And what kind of proof is that? “They have to be able crack nuts or pecans.”
Thus, a need for nuts.
“If people would collect pecans and acorns out of their yards – free of debris - that would be so helpful. Five-gallon buckets to Ziplock bags – we’ll take any amount.”
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This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Who were Hurricane Irma’s smallest victims in SC? Baby squirrels."