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10. 05. 12. - 18:00

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10. 05. 12. - 18:00

Squirrels Away

Michael Leidig

Three orphaned baby squirrels found in Austria can now be released back into the wild after getting round the clock care including being hand-fed goat's milk from a baby bottle.

The three were handed in to the Pfotenhilfe wildlife reserve in Lochen in Braunau, Austria, and have done so well that in a few weeks they will be gradually released back into the wild to fend for themselves.

When they were discovered they were so young that their eyes weren't even opened and their thin fur was covered in fleas.

Wildlife sanctuary staff nicknamed them "Johanna", "Snipsi" and "Nena" and had to feed the babies once every two hours, including through the night.

Experience has shown that the chances of surviving for baby squirrels found when this young are virtually zero, but because of the extra care including the round-the-clock feeding the 60g baby's they ended up pulling through.

Johanna Stadler from the Pfotenhilfe sanctuary said: "The state of the babies was such that it was obvious they had been abandoned or in some way lost their parents, and it was correct to try and help them.

"But in general we advise people to leave baby squirrels where they are – even if they seem to be lost or alone. Probably the parent is somewhere in the area and has hidden waiting for the person to move on. They are wild animals, and they need to remain in the wild."

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Some 177 Roma repatriated by French authorities to Romania
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