Orrington Family Rescues Squirrel, Learns Lots About Wildlife

One local family from Orrington had quite an exciting week becoming heroes to one baby squirrel they came to name Acorn.

It all started this past Monday evening, when Christine Delano's husband, Sonny found the little critter in the road next to their house.

"He grabbed a piece of cardboard for the baby to crawl onto & brought it over to the other side of the street on our neighbor's lawn, where it's quiet, hoping it would head back to its nest or the mom would come to get it. It was dusk, so when I finished getting the kids dinner, we went back over & the squirrel was still there."

Not wanting the little thing to get hurt, Delano did what she could to protect and save the baby.

"It should be noted to always wear gloves with wildlife. Even if they're acting fine they can still carry rabies. I put work gloves on & as soon as I approached the squirrel she very quickly climbed right into my hands & tried climbing up/onto my chest, trying very hard to snuggle & suckle on my sweatshirt. She was so incredibly precious; Just wanted warmth, love & food. At this point, it was after 8 pm & getting dark. We didn't want her left out for predators."

Delano says she reached out to some fellow animal lovers to see if any of them had experience with baby squirrels. She also spent some time researching squirrels online.

"I was able to figure out that she was somewhere between 6-9 weeks old, which meant she should still be in a nest & very much reliant on her mom. All the information I looked up said the most important thing was to keep her warm."

Delano got to work making a little makeshift space to keep the little squirrel warm.

"I grabbed a cardboard box, put an old winter jacket in it & an old t-shirt for her to snuggle underneath, also put a heating pad underneath the box. I stayed up until about 1 am to keep going out to the garage to keep checking on her. She made it through the night nice & cozy. "

In the morning, the family reached out to a local wildlife sanctuary to see what they should do.

"I called as soon as they opened at 9 am. The lady was very nice & informative, she asked lots of questions. She told me not to give the baby squirrel (who my children named Acorn) any food or fluids. They can survive a while without those things, but it's easy for them to get hypothermia & that's the biggest killer. Unfortunately, my schedule didn't allow me to drive an hour to Bar Harbor until late in the day. I kept her warm & cozy & as soon as I was able my kids & I headed to Acadia Wildlife Center. Since it was evening when we arrived there wasn't anybody available to greet us, which had been explained to us beforehand. We were told to leave Acorn in her box cuddled up, to fill out the form in the office & text the Acadia Wildlife number to let them know we dropped her off."

Delano, who homeschools her two girls, says when they arrived at the sanctuary, all of them had the same reaction.

"Pulling into the Rehabilitation center feels like you've entered a beautifully hidden animal sanctuary. My oldest daughter (7) & I walked around just a little. We saw a beautiful fox, red hawk, turkey vulture, gorgeous owls, a bat sanctuary & birds. You can instantly tell these animals are very loved & cared for. "

"That night the lady at AWC messaged me & let me know our little Acorn was very dehydrated & hungry, but overall doing quite well. She was getting some electrolytes & was very happy to be put in with a few other baby squirrels. The next morning I checked in & was told she was doing great! "

Get our free mobile app

Delano says she's planning to go back with a homeschooling group to learn more about the wildlife they're helping at the Acadia Wildlife Center. She hopes others take advantage of what she thinks is an incredible resource, and maybe be inspired to donate to this special non-profit.

"They're very educational & dedicated to helping wildlife live their best lives. They also do educational sessions you can sign up for (12-person limit) every Friday from 12-2, they use books & other educational materials along with their resident animals which include a Lynx, turtles, foxes, eagles & more. AWC is a nonprofit organization so it survives solely on donations. Even their educational sessions are free. However, they do greatly appreciate cash donations & there is also a list on their website of items they are always are in need of as well. Things like hefty large garbage bags, unscented Kleenex, Huggies natural baby wipes, apples, carrots, organic spring mix, unsalted cashews, polar fleece hats & receiving blankets. "

You can find out more about the Acadia Wildlife Center by checking out their website, here.