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A sweltering sweltering baby squirrel is plummeting out of a tree in the scorching heat

To weather this week’s historic heatwave, much of the Bay Area’s wildlife has found relief in deep burrows, damp mud, or dense undergrowth.

But baby tree squirrels, unable to dig or climb, roll down from tall trees and land in great heat mess.

Calling it “Respalooza,” the Bay Area wildlife conservation group has reported a surge in animals in distress and has sent teams to rescue the rodents with ice packs, liquids, medicines and special diets. Mobilizing.

“They are literally jumping out of their nests to escape the heat,” said Buffy Martin Tarbox. Peninsula Humanitarian Society, treating 101 squirrels. Young people who are dehydrated and sometimes injured “don’t have the climbing skills to stand up.”

of Silicon Valley Wildlife Center Executive Director Laura Hawkins said the organization has 188 tree squirrels in its care, with more species expected. Her 138 of them are housed in small cages stacked on shelves, and 50 are cared for in volunteer homes. At one point in an hour she had 14 squirrels arrive.

“Everyone is feeding the squirrels here,” said Hawkins. To lighten the workload, the center calls in additional volunteers to rotate on four-hour shifts.

in San Rafael wild careis also seeing a surge in demand, with “every little child admitted to hospital this week showing symptoms of a high fever,” said communications director Alison Hermans.of San Francisco Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue We typically receive 1-3 baby squirrels per week. Now it goes from 4 to 7 every day.

Animals with heat-related problems should be cared for immediately and monitored constantly, Hermance said.

“Like in humans, wild animal patients need to be cooled. she said. Seizures are another risk, she added.

Baby squirrels are too small to get regular emergency IV fluids. Instead, they must stay hydrated with liquids injected under the skin on the nape of their neck. Each is supplied by a syringe filled with a special formula. You may.

Other animals are feeling the heat too, with the Center reporting an increase in cavity nesting birds such as poor cats, skunks, opossums, fawns, some songbirds and woodpeckers.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in bobcats,” said executive director Ashley Quick. Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center Located in Morgan Hill. The center usually finds one or his two, but is now treating four of his, including a youngster found by a hiker on a trail in Carmel.

Wednesday at Walnut Creek Lindsey Wildlife Experience I received a severely dehydrated golden eagle.

Heat affects wildlife in different ways, depending on the species’ exposure, physiology and behavior. Jonathon StillmanProfessor of Biology at San Jose State University and Adjunct Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Heat-adapted reptiles are not stressed by heat waves. They require far less water than mammals, birds, amphibians, fish and aquatic animals, Stillman said.

Fish are more susceptible to heat spikes when the water is cold and non-oxygenated. If possible, they said they would seek deeper pools to survive the crisis. Joe SullivanFisheries Program Manager, East Bay Regional Park District.

Mammals such as dogs, bears and adult squirrels “sprout” by flattening themselves on cold ground to cool down. Mammals can also sweat and gasp to cool off, Stillman says. “But you can’t do that when you’re dehydrated,” he said.

When it’s hot and thirsty, wildlife roams great distances in search of a drink. Drink water from the birdbath in our garden or churn the irrigated garden. Deer are likely to venture to the edge of the road to feed on the moist vegetation in the roadside ditches, creating a car crash hazard. Their corpses attract scavengers.

Baby squirrels dehydrate easily due to the lack of water sources in their nests. Their nests are filled with siblings and are insulated with leaves, bark, palm fronds, and other materials, so they heat up quickly. Silicon Valley Wildlife Center.

She is restless and fidgety and “sometimes moves around in search of cooler places and unfortunately falls out of the nest,” she said.

If our heat wave had arrived earlier in the season, the center says, we would have been overwhelmed by an influx of chicks rather than squirrels. Young birds of prey burst out of their nests and flooded the wildlife sanctuaries.

Among the stressed squirrels, few are native to California. Most of them are Eastern Gray Squirrels, released here from the wet and cool East Coast in the 1900s. Abundant in our parks and gardens, this species is fertile and she spawns twice a year, but a late summer heat wave may jeopardize her second spawning. there is.

Our native Western Gray Squirrel thrives better in late summer heat waves.

There is growing evidence that heat waves can benefit other native species.

Invasive bullfrogs need water year-round, while native frogs can find small deep burrows to hibernate. This is a form of summer hibernation. The hot, dry months may limit the spread of the invasive Argentine ants, according to Bay Area entomologist Merav Bonshak.

“Life is fragile,” said Stuart Weiss, chief scientist at the University of Menlo Park. Creekside Earth Observation Center“And we rolled ‘Janome’.” It’s the first time it’s been this hot. “

“All species are just doing their own thing and events like this happen,” he said. “Some people are in the wrong place at the wrong time.”


Find wildlife shelters and rehabilitation facilities near you.

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Laboratories/Wildlife-Health/Rehab/Facilities


If you find a baby squirrel

  • Call Wildlife Conservation Centers for advice.
  • Use a towel or cloth to pick it up.
  • Make yourself comfortable in a cool, dark, well-ventilated box
  • Do not feed or water. Ice water can cause shock. Food can cause aspiration disorders.

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/09/10/squirrel-palooza-sweltering-baby-squirrels-are-plummeting-from-trees/ A sweltering sweltering baby squirrel is plummeting out of a tree in the scorching heat

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