- Emily Istre nursed the squirrel back to health, a process she referred to as “like having a toddler on meth.”
Emily Istre of Lafayette, Louisiana, has been caring for the squirrel since March, when she rescued it, and named it Williamina. Her mom found the baby squirrel in her backyard, dehydrated and with an infected eye.
She tried without any luck to contact the state wildlife agency and people who rehabilitate squirrels through a list on the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries website, but got no response because of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Istre created an Insta account for the 1-eyed animal and posted images of the squirrel eating off of a plate, snuggling with her, or hanging out in the elaborate indoor tree house. She even sings lullabies to Williamina and does yoga while her friend scurries around her on the floor.
The account quickly gained more than 1,600 followers but Istre realized that caring for a baby squirrel is exhausting. “It’s like having a toddler on meth,” she said.
When the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries couldn’t be reached, Istre did online research as to how to care for the animals and everything went from there.
A wildlife biologist and permits coordinator for Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, Melissa Collins said that it’s illegal for anyone to rehabilitate wildlife without getting a permit through the agency.
Collins did say that the agency is still in operation during this COVID-19 era. And while she didn’t mention Istre specifically, she did publically say that often people with good intentions, ‘“intervene unnecessarily, removing what appears to be injured/orphaned wildlife.”
Istre did say she doesn’t believe in trying to domesticate wild animals but that she felt this was a special circumstance. “It takes a lot of patience. She makes a big mess. I’m constantly cleaning. Constantly. I don’t want people to think this is a normal thing or something to aspire to.”
Istre said that Williamina has been placed with a wildlife rehab specialist and described her as “a WONDERFUL WOMAN who truly adores animals.” Williamina will eventually be released on a private property with nesting boxes and trail cameras.