Stranded On The Bark
Tiny paws clawed against rough oak bark as three baby squirrels reached upward toward their trapped mother. Blue plastic netting pinned her gray torso firmly against the trunk, tangling her legs and tail in tight nylon loops.
The mother remained stiff against the wood, eyes wide while her kits scrambled over the exposed tree roots. Each time she shifted, the netting dug tighter into her fur.
Below her, the three small kits stood on their hind feet. They pressed their front paws against her tail and flank, nudging her side repeatedly in an effort to coax her down.
A Careful Approach
Footsteps rustled the green grass as a woman crossed the open pasture carrying a pair of green-handled garden shears. She slowed her pace several yards back, lowering her posture to avoid startling the cluster of animals.
She sank onto one knee beside the exposed roots. The baby squirrels turned their heads toward her boots, their tails flicking nervously against the damp turf.
Instead of fleeing up the trunk, the small squirrels held their ground near the base. The mother squirrel turned her head slightly to watch the shears rise, keeping her front claws dug into the furrowed bark.
The woman rested her left hand against the coarse netting, pinching a single taut strand away from the animal’s flank. Metal blades glided into the gap with slow, deliberate precision.
Snipping The Mesh
A sharp snip separated the first loop of blue twine. The woman held her breath, waiting to see if the sudden pop of tension would cause the mother to thrash or bite.
The squirrel stayed firmly planted against the trunk, allowing the rescuer’s fingers to work close to her neck. Strand by strand, the woman severed the plastic cords holding the gray tail in place.
The baby squirrels gathered directly beneath the woman’s knuckles, watching the blue mesh loosen piece by piece. One kit placed its front paws directly onto the woman’s sleeve, tilting its nose upward toward its mother.
With a final cut through the anchoring line, the entire tangled net pulled free. The woman peeled the blue mesh completely off the animal’s back and gathered the wad into her hand.
Back To The Canopy
The mother squirrel shifted her weight, testing her free limbs against the oak bark. She scrambled two feet higher, pausing briefly to glance down toward the base of the trunk.
Her three kits immediately responded, digging their miniature claws into the bark and darting upward directly behind her tail. The small group formed a single moving line as they navigated the vertical creases of the wood.
The woman stood up in the pasture with the blue netting balled in her fist, her gaze fixed on the branches overhead as four bushy tails disappeared into the green leaves.
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