Eight little baby Douglas squirrels – so young, their eyes were still closed – fell out of a nest in Cloverdale a few weeks ago.
Fortunately, they landed safely at Critter Care.
Just two weeks old, the little critters were orphaned when their mom was killed in a construction accident on Aug. 18.
Right away, the "dougies" were brought in to Critter Care Wildlife Society in South Langley.
That first week, the octet was fed every two hours, even through the night, thanks to two very dedicated interns. In the weeks that followed, the feedings stretched to every three hours, except at night, when they're asleep.
Their eyes have opened, and at this rate, they will be moving into a cage with branches to climb on.
The centre, located at 481 216 Street, Langley, is an animal rescue and rehabilitation facility that's run on donations and staffed by volunteers and interns from all over the world.
Sick, injured and orphaned native B.C. mammals are cared for, and returned to the wild.
The society's volunteers and interns are eager to gain hands-on experience working with bear cubs, river otters, raccoons and more.
Coyotes are among the most common animals from the Cloverdale area to wind up at the wildlife refuge, which takes in animals from Southern B.C. and the Lower Mainland.
The refuge is currently home to more than one dozen fawns, 127 raccoons, and seven bears, not to mention the eight Douglas squirrels.
The wildlife rescue organization is asking supporters to take a walk on the wild side next month.
Critter Care Wildlife Society's 6th annual walk-a-thon fundraiser is Sunday, Oct. 5 at Campbell Valley Regional Park. Registration starts at 10:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 11:30 a.m.
Participants are asked to put on their wildest walking gear and bring family, friends and four-legged companions for a walk in the park, striking out on either a 2 km or 4 km route. (Meet at the south entrance, off 8 Avenue.)
There are prizes and surprises for participants who raise more than $100 in pledges. For more information and to register, visit www.crittercarewildlife.org/walkathon, or call 604-530-2054.
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