Orphaned baby squirrels getting WildCare

6-week old foster squirrel at WildCare

A baby squirrel with milk on his chin? Adorable, right? Not so fast — “cute” is one word you won’t hear at WildCare’s Wildlife Hospital.

Before we dive into this week’s feature story, you should know…

Friday is opening day at Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch 🎃, there’s a Hops and Vines Stroll in San Rafael on Saturday, and for you oyster shuckers, you’ll want to head out to Sausalito’s 4th Annual Oyster Festival on Sunday.

Okay, back to squirrel babies! Enjoy this little peek behind the scenes at WildCare Interim.

Thanks for reading,

Kim Neumann

FEATURE STORY

Orphaned baby squirrels getting WildCare

“Oh, you’re feeding the baby squirrels now? Perfect!” Alison Hermance of WildCare beamed as we followed UCLA intern Ashlyn, formula-filled syringes in hand, toward a trio of Eastern gray squirrels awaiting their turn at mealtime.

Alison has been with WildCare for nearly 24 years, carrying a fluency in wildlife I found myself in awe of the entire time. She introduced me not only to the babies and adults in care, but to the bigger picture: the rules, ethics, and values that guide who gets admitted — and why.

“About three-quarters of the time, it’s the public who bring animals through our doors — a hummingbird injured by flying into a window (or a rival hummingbird), or a nest of songbirds knocked loose from tree-trimming,” Alison explained. “The rest arrive via Marin Humane, and those are usually the tougher cases: a trapped skunk, or a bobcat needing specialized transport.”

The instinct to coo is strong — my own use of “adorable!” shot off the charts once the baby squirrel feeding began — but the staff and volunteers here are trained to resist it. Because while WildCare has a big heart, their mission is not to tame them, but to give them the best chance at a truly wild life.

📌 Did You Know?

Non-native, introduced species (like these Eastern gray squirrels) may be rehabilitated, but the state actually recommends euthanasia instead of release because they can compete with native wildlife.
In educational programs, staff are discouraged from calling animals “cute” or handling them in pet-like ways. The goal is always to present them as wild, not tame.

— California Department of Fish and Wildlife, “Memorandum of Understanding”

Still, WildCare sometimes follows its own compass. When a woman from Stockton called — after every other center had turned her away with an injured Eastern gray squirrel — staff told her to bring it in. She drove more than 80 miles to San Rafael, where WildCare accepted the animal, staying true to its core value: every wild creature deserves a chance. The squirrel was released back in the Stockton area once he was old enough.

What “Wild Care” really means

WildCare, now in its 50th year, serves as both a rehabilitation center and an education hub for Marin and beyond. Each year, 3500 of animals arrive here — squirrels, songbirds, raptors, raccoons, even the occasional bobcat — most of them injured or displaced by human activity.

Every move WildCare’s staff and volunteers make is guided by state and federal regulations: in California, that means oversight from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), along with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. From the moment an animal arrives, decisions about handling, feeding, housing, and release are prescribed with one end in mind: ensuring the animal has the best chance of returning to the wild.

Sometimes, though, an animal can’t go back. That doesn’t mean their story ends — if the animal has the proper temperament and is otherwise healthy, it can mark a new role as an Wildlife Ambassador Animal. These non-releasable creatures, from owls and snakes to opossums and tortoises, become the face of WildCare’s educational programs, helping tens of thousands of people every year learn how to live with wildlife.

One of the most beloved ambassadors was Vladimir, a turkey vulture who lived at WildCare for more than three decades. Repeated attempts to “rewild” him failed — Vladimir had been imprinted (so accustomed to humans he could no longer survive on his own) before his arrival at WildCare — and so he became an icon instead, strutting his enormous wingspan for schoolchildren and inspiring respect and curiosity for a species too often misunderstood.

When Vladimir died in March of 2025, the tributes poured in, a reminder that sometimes an animal’s wild gift is to stay and teach us.

Where we fit in

For most of us, the line between “cute” and “wild” blurs when we stumble across an injured or seemingly abandoned creature. The question is what to do.

WildCare provides a hotline (415-456-SAVE) to guide people through those decisions, and many times the advice is to leave the animal where it is, but not until the situation has been assessed by the experts. In many cases, young animals — especially deer fawns and fledgling birds — are left alone while parents forage or feed. Other times, when an animal is deemed truly in need of help, the rescuer will be walked through how to safely transport the animal to WildCare. When that is not possible, and the animal is in Marin, the rescuer is advised on how to coordinate with a Marin Humane Officer to collect and transport the animal to WildCare.

There are preventative efforts we can all make, too:

Avoid tree trimming in spring and summer — it’s prime nesting season and fledgling activity is at its peak.
Keep cats indoors (or supervised on a leash/catio) — this prevents untold injuries to songbirds and small mammals.
Drive slower at dawn and dusk — those are peak hours for deer crossings and collisions.
Never use glue traps — they cause prolonged suffering for rodents and often trap non-target wildlife like lizards and birds.
Cover open chimneys and vents with wildlife-safe screens — this keeps birds, squirrels, and raccoons from getting trapped inside.

WildCare’s Found an Animal FAQ offers detailed guidance for just about every situation — from what to do if you find a baby bird on the ground, to how to handle injured raptors, reptiles, or mammals.

Wild beyond reach

“When wild orphans are raised with the proper, professional techniques, they very quickly reach a point where they’re truly wild and want nothing to do with even their foster parent,” Alison remarked, as Ashlyn wrapped up the feeding and prepared to move them into their next habitat. “That’s when they’ll be assessed for release back into the wild.”

And it’s easy to imagine these three, beautifully untamed squirrels, back in their element as they dart up the trunk of an oak tree, forever beyond human reach.

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