They call him the “Squirrel Whisperer,” though his real name is Dan O’Connor. Since 2011, Dan has taken in 11 motherless, baby squirrels . The first one, (nicknamed “Squirrely”), showed up on a rainy, spring night, barely alive. After O’Connor successfully nursed Squirrely back from the grave, friends and neighbors started bringing Dan any and all orphaned squirrels they found.
One year, Dan — who lives in North Hudson, Wisconsin — woke up to find a box on his deck. Inside were four baby orphaned squirrels along with a note that said, “Good luck.”
O’Connor commented on that experience.
“That was tough. I lost a lot of sleep with them because four is a handful. I’ve never smelled more like spoiled milk in my life.”
The squirrels that end up with Dan have usually lost their mothers to cars, dogs, power lines, etc. When he receives the squirrels, Dan’s regimen involves keeping them safe in a small cage in his garage. Even though he pulls 12 hour shifts at work, O’Connor figured out a way to bottle feed all the squirrels five times per day. Once they are large enough, Dan switches the squirrels to solid food, and finally coaxes them back into a life in the wild. However, for three of the 11 squirrels, a life in the wild meant living in squirrel-sized tree houses Dan built in his yard.
Dan says that he can recognize his former wards when he visits the places where he’s released them. However, that doesn’t mean that the squirrels recognize him in turn.
“After a week or so of being on their own, they’re completely wild. They’re like ‘who are you?’ It’s a feel-good story, and it makes me feel good. The first one, Squirrely -– the day I let him go, he was so scared, and I was so sad. So it’s stressful sometimes, but it’s also rewarding. I know I’ve done the right thing.”
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, untrained individuals who find orphaned animals should never try to rehabilitate them. However, Dan says that every time a squirrel has shown up on his doorstep, he just hasn’t had the heart to turn them away.
“I wasn’t just going to let them die. I don’t collect squirrels, and I don’t have squirrels for pets. I don’t want anybody having squirrels for pets, and I don’t want anybody taking baby squirrels out of their nest. The only thing I did was save their lives. Every baby squirrel I’ve ever had was motherless and headed for the tunnel of light. Every one of them would have died; I’m 100 percent sure of it. The whole idea was to get them out the door.”
What do you think? Should “untrained” individuals like Dan be taking in orphaned animals to nurse them back to health, or should they leave it to professionals? Or perhaps they shouldn’t get involved at all and let nature takes its course? Sound off your opinion in the comments below.
[Image via Grand Forks Herald ]
