The Allure of Baby Squirrels

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The group operates on a budget of less than $7,000 a year, raised mostly in small donations from loyal supporters. And people often write a check, or give some cash, out of gratitude when an FOW volunteer responds to their call to help an animal, Wakeman says. Though she orchestrates the squirrel rescues, most of the animals are cared for by her crew of eighteen volunteers. “What’s cool is they all have different levels of responsibility,” she says. “For example, the people in Manchester are a couple of retired women who love the pinkies [hairless newborns]. They are the most difficult to do.” When she gets pinkies, she meets the women halfway, in Fredonia. “Once their eyes open, [the women] call back and say, ‘Can I get rid of them?’”

One of the inconveniences of the work is sharing one’s living space with wild animals. Wakeman houses squirrels in her garage, in a large cage in her backyard, and in her laundry room. She likes the laundry room best because it’s all white, which allows her to see any parasites that come inside with the animals. Fortunately, she’s not a good host for squirrel parasites: “They just bite me and die.”