RESCUER ASKS A BACKYARD SQUIRREL TO ADOPT THE ORPHANED BABY
An orphaned young squirrel was being cared for by Rebecca Lombardi, who hoped to someday return him to the wild. Sadly, he wasn't doing well, and Lombardi was concerned that he might not survive.
“He’s eating, but he’s not growing like he should be,” Lombardi said in a video she posted. “And sometimes it just happens. Some baby squirrels do really well when they’re being hand-raised, and others don’t.”
Instead of giving up, Lombardi made the bold decision to surrender the baby to a mother squirrel in her backyard in the hopes that she would take him as her own. Lombardi knew where the mother squirrel would be and fed her regularly. Lombardi crossed her fingers, took the baby outside, held him close to the tree, and waited for Mama to come down.
“His odds with her are much better than they are with me,” Lombardi said. “So let’s give this a try. ”In no time at all, the mother squirrel descended to inspect. After a moment of hesitation, she was sniffing the infant and standing right near Lombardi's hand.
Suddenly, the mother squirrel snatched the infant in her mouth and started to climb the tree again. The achievement of her idea filled Lombardi with immense joy. Because the mother trusted Lombardi and chose to assist, the baby now had a chance to live and grow.
