June 1999
Squirrel
As my father and I walked home from the hardware shop
having bought needed garden supplies we noticed a small group
of children circled around and unknown object.
I ran up for closer inspection. There was a small grey squirrel
nibbling at an apple slice. The little thing moved weakly but
managed to get around. This squirrel was baby grey squirrel,
full coat grown in but very small and quite obviously young.
The children meant well but were taunting the thing.
They gave it food it could not digest.
They had stroked it and told me it wouldn’t bite. I tested and
eventually picked it up cupping my hands to make a tiny shelter.
It curled up and rested. I noticed orange moving up my jacket,
coming from the baby. A closer look revealed parasites crawling
off the baby. Quite obviously I couldn’t drop it so I walked home
with my father quite exited. My father and I set up a sleeping
area for him(Aseeda was it’s name so I shall refer to it as so.)
Since he could come inside he stayed in my warm play house
in a large hamster cage. I couldn’t leave it for a moment but by
the evening Aseeda and I had got to know each other quite well,
and so I left it for the night. In the morning I ran outside.
When it awoke and saw me coming it climbed the cage wall
looking at me. When I opened the cage it managed to climb out and
walked to me then scratched at the bottom of my pant leg.
Later I learned Aseeda had a disease which was the cause of
the children finding it on the ground.
You see a mother squirrel will not raise a sick child.
When it grew a bit older in the nest she must have noticed the
illness and pushed it out of the nest as most squirrel mothers do.
It landed on the ground and was found. So Aseeda had quite a few
adventures in the three days of survival she had left in which I
will not go through but she died in the night for several reasons.
No mother’s milk parasites illness etc.. But anyhow Aseeda died
but died at least in a loving atmosphere rather then the ground
underneath the tree’s nest.
I learned a lot from Aseeda I wish to grow up to be a vet and
this inspired me. People need to be more knowledgeable about
what to do if they are in this situation.
Perhaps I shall teach about that when I grow up.
I love you Aseeda.
Good Bye.
Lindsay T.
Age 12
| Aseeda |