Adult squirrels are the worst.
They tend to get a bit nutty in close quarters, says Colleen Bumba, a volunteer at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, the home of Cuyahoga County’s only wildlife rehabilitation facility.
“They’re aggressive adult squirrels, they’re fast and they bite a lot,” Bumba says. She should know. The retired veterinarian has been a volunteer at the center since 2015, treating songbirds, turtles, rabbits and other creatures brought in by tender-hearted animal lovers.
The Bay Village center offers wildlife education and programs year ’round, but it’s probably best known for its assortment of birds and other mammals on display behind the sprawling facility. The animals have recovered from their injuries but are unable to survive in the wild. Instead, they help educate the public and give visitors an up-close look at creatures usually only seen in quick glimpses.
The center handles many hundreds of animals annually, ranging from stressed-out rescued baby bunnies to turtles with cracked carapaces.
Spring is prime season for the center. Pets uncover rabbit nests, baby birds and squirrels tumble out of nests, birds run into windows, amphibians encounter cars. The intersection of wildlife and humans often ends disastrously, with the animals coming up on the short end.
The staff has swim tanks for waterfowl rehab and covered cages for flying squirrels and birds that need a quiet place to recuperate.
Bumba enjoys the work and says her experience as a veterinarian gives her a chance to serve her community and the animals that live there. Every wildlife encounter is different.
When people find baby animals they assume they’re abandoned, but that’s rarely true, Bumba says. “Mom may have been scared away. Deer and rabbits only come back periodically (to their babies) so they don’t attract predators. A lot of times, the best, the highest survival rate is to be with their mother.
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