Ground Squirrel Rescue

Being on the farm means a variety animal rescue stories over the years, from the tiny kitten we pulled cold, drenched and desperately swimming from a rain barrel to the goat my husband saved from wild dogs -- waking from a dead sleep and running down the stairs and out to the barn au natural - stopping only to grab the rifle, moccasins and a hat.

Today's strange encounter involved a ground squirrel and two of our outside cats. The cats were tracking something in the grass and when I went to investigate, there was a ground squirrel with a wet looking patch on its back. It must have been caught and then released by one of the cats and now two were on its trail. I went into rescue mode -trying to push back the cats so the ground squirrel could get away. But it only moved 4 or 5 inches at a time, then crouched down and hid in the grass, very cautiously trying to sneak away. Of course everytime it moved, the cats saw it and made a grab for it. I could easily have caught the ground squirrel myself, it was so scared, and carried it to safety but I didn't have gloves with me and was afraid if I ran to get them, by the time I got back it would be too late. After many rescues, one learns to use protective gear, its just fun not to get scratched, bitten or gored by the subject of an intended good deed.

Now the little guy is only a foot away from a walnut tree and safety, but then it turns as if to face its pursurers - and appears to be considering a full attack on me, the would be rescuer. After a couple of shoos and hand flutters in its direction, I freeze, watching as the ground squirrel creeps hesitantly up to my leg where he sits up and tentatively sniffs it. Then slowly as though scaling a treacherous, unfamilar mountain, it begins to climb. I move carefully over to the walnut tree but the squirrel is intent on continuing its climb up my leg and ignores the tree. Don't bite me, please don't bite I keep saying in what I hope is a soothing voice to a ground squirrel. I lean on the walnut, getting as close as I can to the tree trunk, but still the squirrel climbs and climbs until finally he is almost to my shoulder and then he suddenly turns, grabs a hold of the tree and races up and out of sight.

A new first for me - I have never been climbed before by a wild animal.