More Critter Stories by Maxine

Re: Squirrel

I promised to tell you about my experience with Texas Parks and Wildlife. I have not embellished on this one bit. It is all true.

On April 26th, I saw a Red Tail Hawk destroy a nest behind our feed house. Three American Black Crows were trying to fight him off, and about that time I saw something spiral down to the ground. Our Longhorns were watching this activity as well. I hobbled over and found a baby crow laying on his back with both feet up in the air. I thought the worst, that his neck was broken, so I put him in a box and brought him inside. If I had left him, he would have been either eaten by the hawk, or cats, or fireants. The nest was totally destroyed. I had no choice but to pick him up. There was no nest to put him back into. The bird only had soft downy feathers so I knew it was a baby, even though it was a big bird.

I went on the internet to find out how to care for a baby crow. It wouldn't hold his head up, I thought because it was young. I think now it must have gotten some nerve damage from the encounter with the hawk. It had one small puncture wound on its back.

In the crow world, all adult crows feed all of the babies in their territory, so it receives food every 30 minurtes or so during daylight hours. I had accepted this responsibility, even though I was handicapped myself. It was hard to find critters with a cast on my foot. So I mixed up all the necessary ingredients to prepare a healthy meal, rolled each bite into a little ball so that I could feed this baby all day long. He recognized me as his Mother and constantly called me.

After three weeks of being a Mama bird, I felt like he needed to have professional help if he was to live. He had grown into a bigger bird and was getting his adult feathers, but I was not able to take him outside for exercise. So I called our famous TEXAS PARKS and WILDLIFE and asked them if they had a wild bird rescue dapartment. They were helpful at first, then I asked them if they had a really safe place to release a baby squirrel as well. I had so much responsibility on me with these babies, and my surgery was pending.

At that point they transfered me to some federal official. ? ? They started asking me a lot of questions about what kind of animals I had here. I told them that I take in all kind of animals and that I had a variety of wildlife, including several hundred Black Bellied Whistling Tree Ducks from Mexico. I thought Homeland Security was going to come down on me. They said I could GO TO PRISON ! ! ! They asked how I got these ducks, because they are NOT supposed to be here. They are from Mexico. I told them that I saw them fly over one morning, saw our lakes, and decided to move in. I told them to come and get them, because they were eating me out of house and home. They could empty a feeder in one day.

Then they wanted to know what else I had, and I told them that I also had 2 Rio Grand Turkeys that had taken up residence here and didn't know they were wild. They thought they were outside dogs, and were sent here to protect this property. They won't let strangers out of their cars.

After a much heated conversation with several people at this point, I told them they could come and get all of these wild animals and ME TOO. They said they didn't like my "smart attitude", and that I had committed a federal offense and could go to Federal Prison. Apparantly it IS a Federal law, that you can't put a squirrel into a cage, and this American Black crow is on the endangered list. And I had enticed these whistling ducks to change their residency.

Legally, you can shoot a squirrel and eat him as long as you do not put him into a cage. I had raised this baby squirrel from the time it was about a week old, bottle feeding her every 3 hours, and letting her have the run of the house during the day, but I did put her into a cage at night, where she slept in her warm bed, had her toys and everything was happy in her little world. She was the 4th squirrel I had raised and released. I intended to release her as well, because the others still come around every morning to be fed.

Texas Parks & Wildlife started asking me for directions to my property, so I decided to take the CROW and SQUIRREL to Austin. I didn't want them to come here.

Before we left to go to Austin, I decided to release the squirrel here on our property to join the others. I put her up into a large Live Oak tree in the front yard. I told her that she was free to roam the countryside and be a real squirrel. She was so scared and started trembling. As she started back down the tree to get to me, she saw those 2 turkeys. It was so funny, because she ran and got back into her cage and almost closed the door. I am positive I understood her to say "CLOSE THE DOOR QUICK."

I let her stay in the cage and brought her back inside the house. She had a bigger cage that I built which was 6 feet X 8 feet, but to the federal officials, it is still a cage, and illegal.

We drove to Austin with the crow and I told them that I HAD RELEASED the squirrel on our property. I had not lied to them.

They made me fill out all kinds of papers, and I guess they were satisfied with my answers, but they warned me to NEVER pick up a wild animal, just call them and they would come and take care of them. "RIGHT"

When I got home, I released 2 red pigeons that I had rescued. Their feet had been badly burned somehow. As soon as I released them, they went to the chicken house and took over. That night they put up such a squawk and wouldn't let the chickens and guineas into the roost, so I had to go get them and put them back into THEIR cage.

A couple of days later, I saw a green truck up at our front gate. It had Texas Parks and Wildlife printed on the side, and the driver was trying to figure out how to open the gate. I pretended not to see him. He may have wanted to take me away or set up residency himself.

Now for an update, all is well here on the farm. A bobcat got one of my turkeys, but the other one is still on patrol. His name is TURK. The squirrels have all had offsprings that climb all over us when we are sitting out on the patio. We don't dare go outside without peanuts or pecans. The pigeons shared the chicken house for a while before moving on to greener pastures last spring. We see them occasionally with other pigeons. The crows are still fighting off hawks. The Black Bellied Whistling Tree Ducks are still living here and eating us out of house and home. I tell them they are not supposed to be here, but they just whistle at me and continue doing their thing.

And Texas Parks and Wildlife is leaving me alone.

Now when someone ask me if I can take in a wild animal and nurse it back to health, I tell them as soon as I get this cast off my foot and leg and get myself back to walking, I will be a "REPEAT OFFENDER". I will not turn my back on an animal in distress.

I feel like God put me on this parcel of land to take care of His Critters, and I just can't say no.

Every day is a new experience around here, and I really miss being able to walk the property. I am making progress finally and feel like it won't be long now before I will be able to walk.

I have many critter stories.

Please stay in touch.
Maxine