We recently received the following letter from hotline caller, Margaret Mollick, after her heart-wrenching rescue of a baby squirrel:

Dear Members of the DFW Wildlife Coalition,

I wanted to send you this account I wrote about the event I had this past week and my encounter (and introduction) to your organization and the wonderful work you are doing. I intend to send this note to the Fort Worth Star Telegram next week.   

 Thank you.  Margaret Mollick

 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, 2007:    I stepped outside my backyard door to bring in water bottles and heard a man’s voice from my neighbor’s yard. As I went back for the second bottle I saw my neighbor, Ken, and said Hello.

 He replied and asked me: “Did you see that?”

 “See what?”, said I.

 Someone in his backyard neighbor’s yard had just tossed a baby squirrel over the 7-ft cinderblock fence wall into his backyard - as he was standing there!
  
I approached and could see the little squirrel lying next to the wall, on its back, mouth agape and panting. There was no response from the other side of the fence. I leaned over to stroke the squirrel’s head. It didn’t flinch or move, but its eyes were open. I told Ken I thought I could take it home and see if it would come out of the trauma it had just gone through. He agreed and I picked her up; brought her home; wrapped her in a towel and placed her in a box. The little squirrel burrowed down in the folds of the towel and I left her alone. Later I placed a small cup of water and some fruit and nuts in the box.

On Friday morning I called my veterinarian; was told he wasn’t licensed to treat wild animals but recommended I call Living Science Center at the River Legacy Park. I drove there with the little squirrel in her box. The receptionist told me they no longer took in injured animals; offered to phone a man named Curt with whom I spoke about my dilemma and who told me he would find a volunteer to call me. Curt is a volunteer with DFW Wildlife Coalition - a wonderful group of volunteers I would learn.

When I arrived home, Megan (another volunteer) called to say she had given my phone number to Belen (another volunteer) who would call me. When Belen called she told me I could bring the little squirrel to her home where she cares for injured and orphaned little critters not yet ready to care for themselves in the wild and who are released back when they are capable. 

I met Belen and learned of this wonderful network of caring people, and I am still in awe. They can always use volunteers and donations to help with their acts of kindness.

Check their web site www.dfwwildlife.org and see for yourself.  As for the backyard neighbor who began all this, FIE on him/her. There is no excuse for that kind of treatment of nature’s creatures ... ever … by anyone.

Belen Nobert, wildlife rehabilitator, is also a DFW Coalition hotline volunteer.

Unfortunately, not all rescue attempts have happy endings.  Belen took the baby squirrel to the vet, and the x-rays revealed that its pelvis and femur were broken on the left side.  It was a difficult decision, but they decided to euthanize her.  As Belen recalls,

“I felt very bad, but that was the humane decision to make.  Days like today are not the most rewarding, but we cannot save them all.  We have to keep remembering of the ones we release.  I have named her Jasmine”.

Thank you, Margaret, for sharing this story with us, for getting involved, and for being there for Jasmine.  Thank you, Belen and all of the Coalition hotline volunteers, for being able to make tough decisions on behalf of wildlife and for showing endless compassion toward animals every day.