Rescuer Holds Breath As She Asks Backyard Squirrel To Adopt Orphaned Baby
Rebecca Lombardi was caring for an orphaned baby squirrel, hoping to eventually release him back into the wild.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t thriving, and Lombardi was worried he might not make it.
“He’s eating, but he’s not growing like he should be,” Lombardi said in a video posted on The Dodo.
“And sometimes it just happens. Some baby squirrels do really well when they’re being hand-raised, and others don’t.”
Rather than give up, Lombardi decided to try something risky — offering the baby to one of the mama squirrels living in her backyard and hoping she would accept him as her own.
Lombardi fed the mama squirrel regularly and knew where she would be.
Crossing her fingers, Lombardi gently brought the baby outside, held him near the tree and waited for Mama to come down.
“His odds with her are much better than they are with me,” Lombardi said. “So let’s give this a try.”
It didn’t take long for the mama squirrel to come down and investigate.
She was a little hesitant at first, but soon she was right next to Lombardi’s hand, sniffing the baby. Lombardi held her breath …
… and just like that, the mama squirrel grabbed the baby in her mouth and headed back up the tree.
Lombardi was beyond thrilled that her plan had been successful. Now the baby had the chance to survive and thrive, all because the mama trusted Lombardi and decided to help.
