I don’t want this to sound harsh, but this is the proper outcome. I had a long chat the other day with someone on Superbowl about why there are very harsh penalties to keeping bird feathers, especially raptors and endangered birds, and there are many similar reasons why we can’t keep wild animals as pets.
These laws are severe not to punish someone who finds a nice feather in the woods, or who wants to help an animal. They are designed as harsh as they are to deter people with actual bad intentions. The agencies in charge of animal welfare do not have endless resources. They don’t have the time or money to investigate and prosecute everyone who does something improper.
This person, even if they tried to do their best, did not get this squirrel to someone who knows what they are doing after he saw its mother get killed. If he had taken it to a rescue, they would have had this squirrel able to return to the wild and live a great squirrel life. He kept it, and it imprinted on him, leaving it not a pet, yet not wild. He meant well, but he ruined this squirrel’s chance to be a squirrel.
He also put this on the internet, making who knows how many other people to want their own squirrel. They might not treat that squirrel great, or they might get bit or scratched. Squirrels can hurt you, as crazy as that sounds. Their claws are insanely sharp to dig into tree bark and they bite through nuts you need a hammer to break. He can share cute moments with wild animals, but they don’t know how to live in homes with us. They are destructive and have poor attention spans due to their need to avoid predators, so they have no interest in us if they are healthy.
I hope this person learns that it isn’t right to take an animal from the wild, and I hope these events discourage others from following in his steps, because it will lead to more bad things to wild animals than it will good things. If you want to help animals, leave them be, volunteer at a rescue or rehab, or donate to your local wildlife shelter.
Again, sorry if this sounds mean or cold hearted. I sympathize with him, but he made a number of mistakes. While I don’t want to see him be punished, if you care about wild animals, you will understand they don’t belong as pets.
Eh. They are both wild animals and if the rehab is complete then they should be returned to the wild
