The Squirrel

Last Wednesday I had the most wonderful opportunity to engage with a wild animal. A squirrel. That morning I woke up two hours later than I usually do. And I thought it odd that I could have slept so late. I took bread for a walk, but because it was so hot I cut the walk a little short. If you don't walk before 8am in Austin it gets really hot. Anyway, Bread and I were walking up our street when I noticed a group of cats on my neighbors lawn. They appeared to be gathered around something and when I looked closer I realized they were gathered around a squirrel.

I ran over to scare the cats away so the squirrel could escape because it looked like one of the cats had her pinned by the tail. The cats scattered, and the squirrel tried to climb a tree. At this point it became clear that the squirrel was injured. It's arm was useless and flopped at it's side. It was unable to climb or walk, and it dragged itself for a little while and then collapsed with exhaustion. I immediately went in to a different state of being, and became hyper focused on this squirrel. I put Bread back in the house and grabbed my phone and a paper bag. The cats had regrouped by the time I got back, and I scarred them away again. The squirrel was also frightened and dragged itself into my neighbors car port and underneath a cart.

At this point I'm becoming frantic. Many of you know that I often prefer animals to people. I love animals, and cannot watch them in pain. It's why i don't eat animals, because I love them so much. So I'm frantically looking on my phone for a wild animal rescue group, trying in vein to catch the squirrel. I don't know how to catch the squirrel! I notice that my neighbor has opened his door and shut it again, so I knocked on the door to let him know that he's got an injured animal in his car port. This is the first time I meet my neighbor, although we have waved to each other on previous occasions. He is immediately as distressed as I and comes out to help.

I find a number for a rescue group and call. A woman answers and tells us to throw a towel on the squirrel and put it in a box. I only have a bag. The squirrel doesn't like having a towel thrown on it. It tries to run, but just manages to drag itself around. My neighbor is able to grab it and we put it in the bag.

Okay. So now I have a squirrel in a peets coffee bag. The squirrel doesn't even try to escape it's so exhausted by the pain and the ordeal of trying to run. So I take it into my apartment and look up the address for this rescue place. I drive with the squirrel for 15 minutes out of Austin and turn down a dirt road where there is a little house that serves as an intake center for these animals. Immediately after I arrive another man arrives with another injured squirrel.

A woman looks at my squirrel and then looks at the other squirrel and then takes my squirrel into the house. Another woman takes the other squirrel. I wait for about ten minutes and fill out a form, and also donate fifty dollars. The woman comes out and asks which one of us had the first squirrel I brace myself. She tells me that the squirrels arm is actually not broken, but she appears to have injured her shoulder. This is easier to rehabilitate than a broken arm. She says the squirrel should be able to be fixed and that when she's better they will release her back into the wild. but they tell me that she was nursing, although they think the babies will be old enough to fend for themselves. I thank them and get back in my car and drive home.

I'm late for class that day, but it doesn't matter. This was such a gift to me. Everything happened at the perfect moment. If my neighbor hadn't been home would I have been able to catch the squirrel? And to think that if I'd woken up on time or walked the whole walk that squirrel might have met a different end. And that happens...that's nature. And squirrels die like everything else. But how wonderful to co-create that moment with that squirrel. I'm so grateful for that day. because we are all connected. And I knew in that moment how joyful it is to be connected. I hope you all get to save your own squirrels.