The Cycle Begins Again

The pre-release pen outside has been empty for a while now, and we'll be dismantling it soon. The last among the spring squirrel babies have been released.

Now we turn our attention to arrivals. And to much smaller enclosures - plastic pet carriers - which are taken out of storage to house the smallest of the small, the autumn orphans, as they begin to come.

We have two. These little girls are not siblings by birth but were brought together by circumstance and need by two wildlife rehabilitators before me. The larger girl fell from a tree and mom never came to retrieve her, for whatever reason. The smaller girl fell too, with her brother, who had a fractured paw and numerous other injuries. His paw had begun to heal and he seemed to be well on his way when suddenly, while he was being fed, he had a seizure and died, right in the rehabilitator's hands. It was devastating.

So the two girls were paired under the care of one rehabilitator, so neither would be lonely. They are maybe one week apart in age, and the smaller girl has a head tilt and seems slightly neurologic. But she has a sibling again. They have each other.

And now, as of last Wednesday, they have come into my care. They snuggle, they sleep and most importantly, they grow.

The cycle begins again.