Spring brings rush of baby animal rescues for group
With a towel draped over her lap, Lea Peshock helped to feed a syringe full of formula to a roughly four-week-old squirrel named Azure on Friday morning.
Azure was found on a sidewalk in Lafayette before she was brought to the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Peshock, Greenwood’s animal control supervisor, said the tiny, thirsty creature was one of 10 baby squirrels now at the rehabilitation center, just west of Longmont.
The squirrels, a few baby doves and a recovering goose that was shot in the face with an arrow, are so far among the center’s few residents. But the nonprofit’s executive director, Linda Tyler, said that’s all about to change.
“Spring and summer are the busiest time of year,” Tyler said. “Those start coming in March with the baby squirrels; April, baby foxes and baby raccoons; May, baby birds and baby waterfowl. It all kind of builds up to us (typically) having more than 400 animals in June, July.”
In contrast, during the winter season, Tyler said the nonprofit may be caring for roughly five animals at a time.
Spring is when many animals across the Front Range are giving birth, Tyler said.
Sometimes those babies end up in perilous situations, and that’s where the rehabilitation center comes to the rescue. The nonprofit last year helped to treat nearly 3,200 animals — about 67% of those animals were orphaned.
Tyler warned that if someone finds a baby animal, the first thing they should do is call Greenwood before they attempt to move it. While the nonprofit helps animals recover, “We’re not mom,” Tyler said. The nonprofit has detailed instructions on its website, too, that advises people on how to approach the situation, depending on what baby animal they find.
Carrying for the baby creatures can be intensive work. Songbirds, for example, must be fed every 30 minutes. To help with the flux of animals throughout the warmer months, Tyler said roughly 30 seasonal staff are hired. The nonprofit is also currently looking for interns.
Peshock’s routine with Azure must be repeated four times throughout the day for each of the squirrels. There are many reasons Peshock said the work the nonprofit does to get baby animals back in the wild is important.
“They’re all part of nature,” she said. “They play an important role in the ecosystem. They deserve to be out there.”
Peshock said squirrels bury nuts, some of which will sprout, playing an active role in helping to plant trees.
Aiding Peschock to feed the squirrels was Patti Belmont, who has been a Greenwood volunteer for the last 30 years. When asked what’s kept her coming back, Belmont said, “This,” as she gestured to a baby squirrel named Denim she was feeding that morning.
She added: “Helping the animals.”
Before they’re released into the wild, Tyler said the animals will spend some time in outdoor enclosures to help them adapt to the outside world. When it’s time to release them, Tyler said they will be placed in an area within a 10-mile radius of where they were found.
The resident goose was rescued by Boulder animal protection officers in March at Viele Lake, after wandering the city with an arrow lodged in its face. Tyler said the goose is doing well and could even be released back into the wild soon. Until then, she said the bird has been “getting the five-star treatment.” On Saturday, the bird was seen swimming in an outdoor enclosure with a fellow goose buddy.