A Soft Landing for Five Siblings

On a cold September morning, a box was found outside a local vet clinic. A note on the box said, “Please help them,” and tucked inside were five juvenile northern flying squirrels. The clinic staff knew where to take these wild animals: the PAWS Wildlife Center.

The smallest weighing 34 grams, these young squirrels would normally be entirely dependent on their mom in the wild. Instead, PAWS animal care staff took on the role of caregiver. After 43 days of providing feedings every few hours, they were weaned and moved into outdoor enclosures.

Knowing the squirrels would require help with the transition to the wild, PAWS staff researched specially built release boxes. These would serve as home base and keep the animals safe as they acclimated to life in the wild.

While the squirrels were growing, two Girl Scouts were working with the PAWS Education Team to complete their Silver Award, the highest achievement for Cadettes.

Kaelyn and Malia, previous attendees of PAWS Girl Scout programs, were matched to this project by PAWS Educator Bailey Gilbert. The wildlife experts at PAWS provided the friends with a proposed design. The industrious Scouts then added their own ideas, including a porch entryway to protect the squirrels from animals entering the box.

Kaelyn and Malia each spent more than 50 hours researching, designing and building the boxes. They also created a presentation for other Scouts to learn about the northern flying squirrels project.

Says Gilbert, “This project took place from March until the squirrels’ release in October. These young ladies were incredibly dedicated to this project and are still inspiring others as their story is now part of our PAWS Kids Who Care lessons.”

On release day, PAWS Naturalist Jeff Brown brought the five northern flying squirrels to a forest near Issaquah where the boxes were mounted high in the trees. Cameras were set up so PAWS staff could monitor the squirrels’ progress from a distance. And the boxes these intrepid Scouts worked so hard to build enabled the animals to safely explore their new home in the wild at their own pace.

For more content related to this story, visit paws.org/Spring2021.