Squirrels versus gravity: Xpress talks to an expert

Wayne Smith walked into the Xpress office and presented his card: “World Gravity Commission. Conservation research.”

Uh-oh. Conserving gravity? Is he a member of the Flat Earth Society, too?

So much for jumping to conclusions (an act which, itself, suggests involvement with gravity). It turns out that despite the whimsical wording, Smith is engaged in serious conservation work in which gravity plays a leading role. He rescues baby squirrels and birds that have tumbled from their nests. He is a licensed animal rehabilitator and the timing of his visit was dictated by squirrels’ birthing season.

“This is the time of year when baby squirrels are falling out of trees,” he told Xpress. “They’re generally born in January and now they’re about 30 days old.” At that age, he explained, the tiny mammals are still pink. A few weeks later they have developed their gray fur coats.

“When people find baby animals the best thing to do is to return them to their nests, if that’s possible,” he said. “But squirrel nests are usually pretty far up in the trees. The next best thing is to call me, or call the WNC Nature Center. The absolute worst thing you can do is give them milk. Milk is not good for squirrels — in fact, the only one that died on me last season was one that someone had fed milk for a few days. It binds them and they die of constipation.”

Until you can get a baby squirrel to a professional rehabber, he said, you should keep it warm, and if it seems dehydrated (which most such orphans will be), you should offer it diluted Gatorade.

The World Gravity Commission can be reached at 273-5834. The WNC Nature Center can be reached at 298-5600.

— Cecil Bothwell, staff writer