One step away from roadkill, a squirrel's tale.... posted 4/21/2007 10:31:09 PM | 20 kudos what's this?     report abuse

PullMyFinger

Apparently in another blog, the blogger recounts tales of cruelty to animals, squirrels and porcupines and maybe others. I glanced at it, noticed the comments and left; I pretty much discounted the blog entirely.

But it's gotten responses. Some of us post to shock, some to inform, and others, like me, blog to poke fun at our frailties. I certainly haven't given the impression I know what the fk I'm talking about, just a dumbass making a boob out of himself. Most of you know that...some don't but...well, I am.

But the cruelty of the blog hit home here. It's because no one took offense at the blog's content. We know of the blogger's personal problems and it isn't really surprising. So I decided to take it upon myself to show the other side, how some people care for and nurture those animals that have met with tragedy or cruelty by man.

This is a story about Henry.

Henry is about 10 years old. He's a Fox Squirrel, an old boy from the trees of Oakland County, MI. Henry came here to Sci's rehabilitation center about 4 months ago. It was a cold day in January and Henry was finding it more difficult to survive as the years had taken their toll. Henry found himself hungry and disoriented after being injured somehow; the hows and whys aren't known but Henry's time had come.

He found himself in the parking lot of Sci's vet, cold, hungry and near death. One of the vet techs spied Henry and brought him inside the office. As this is Sci's vet, they knew who to call.

Henry was about 1 day from death; death had come knocking on ol' Henrys door. He was anemic from fleas, he had a closed head injury, an injured eye, he was emaciated and dehydrated.

Yes, Henry is just a squirrel, we see them every day. I'm sure a lot of us enjoy watching squirrels in our backyard, sometimes we even feed them. They come in all colors and sizes. A squirrel is a squirrel. To some, as that particular blog points out, it's a target for cruelty. To others, something else.

Henry was seen at the vet's, he was rehydrated, given some anti-biotics, given a shot of vitamins, and treated for the infestation of fleas.

Sci and the vet agreed that Henry was worth saving but in need of some serious TLC. Henry's first two days had Sci worried; he was in pretty bad shape and she was worried that he'd die during the night. To her surprise, Henry started to improve and responded to what is called emaciation protocol. He was a fighter. As a wild squirrel, they tend to shy away from humans, most likely in response to treatment as outlined in that blog I mentioned earlier...years of instinct teach animals of humans' predatory nature. I'm thinking Henry knew that this particular human contact was different. He was being cared for, fed and housed in a warm environment.

About 10 days later, Henry suffered a setback. The injured eye could have been caused by a BB gun, a strike by a car...tons of stuff. Henry had arrived with his eye swollen and scabbed over. He was treated in those 10 days, but in the process of grooming, he might have scratched it. His closed head injury made things difficult for Henry. The cornea fell off his eye taking the lense with it. Sci immediately took Henry to the vet for an assessment. Unfortunately, not much could be done and Henry lost sight in his left eye.

A period of time went by, Henry continued to improve despite everything life had given him. His worst injuries healed and today Henry lives; he's still old but he's healthy. A savvy city-dwelling squirrel that has seen his last tree. But his temperment and that savvy nature has made him an ideal educational addition to Sci's mission of teaching people about wildlife. Through Henry, people are learning that even the smallest of creatures have worth, they're not an animal to be kept as pets, but they still have a huge impact on our enviroment. All species do. Though he's just a squirrel, Henry has proven that the will to survive is strong in every living creature. No animal should be subject to the cruelty of humans.

Henry's just a squirrel, but he's content to live out his days loved and respected...



Anyone that thinks otherwise is a fkn dork...

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Blogs by PullMyFinger: Pine Tarred & Corked, Crowding The Plate... Give Them Enough Rope And.... * Plate Spinning Monkeys Riding Tricycles...* Close Quarter Combat…I Was There* Memorial Day? My God's Better Than Your God.... Blogapalooza & The Flatulent Forums... Pilfering Yellow-Bellied Bushwankers.... Chain Saws, False Messiahs and Snake Oil Salesmen.... Butt Sniffing & Nazi Dudes.... Vicar in a Tutu...A Conversation with God.... My virtual world has crumbled, I'M LEAVING!!! Goodbye! One step away from roadkill, a squirrel's tale.... Forgiveness and Understanding A Case of Rape~~Literally Ghosts in the Shadows... Uncle Finger's Boinking Guide for MEN My Recliner of Rage, Things that suck.... Of Squirrels and Mugshots.... BLOG WARS: My Battle Plans.... The Dragonfire Syndrome... Leprecauns, Unicorns, Tooth Fairys and Internet Dating.....