All set to release rescued squirrel kits into forest

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) is all set to release three northern palm squirrel kittens into the jungle as their rehabilitation has almost been completed.

The three northern palm squirrel kittens were found by rangers of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), who were only 15-16 days old, during a post-fire operation at the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP).

According to the IWMB staff, it was assumed that they might not survive due to their vulnerable young stage after the demise of their mother in the forest inferno, however, they have been rehabilitated and will soon be released into the forest.

According to experts, the kittens of northern palm squirrel are born blind and they rely on their mother's feed to survive for around two or three months. A female carries her young for a gestation period of 29 to 65 days, depending on the size of the species. Mothers give birth to two to eight offspring at one time.

IWMB former secretary Abdul Hye Agha said that the IWMB staff found the squirrel kittens during a post-forest fire patrol. He said that the IWMB staff told him that due to the very young and intricate stage, it was not easy to nurture them, he volunteered to look after the kits that were unable to be reared at home during such an early stage.

"The IWMB officials termed it an uphill task but I thought, nothing is impossible. I took all the squirrel kits from the board office and brought them to my home," he said adding that he started feeding milk to the kittens every two-and-a-half-hour on the first two days of their arrival. “In the early days, it was very difficult to feed them after every two hours as even at night while sleeping he had to wake up to nourish the kits,” he said.

Agha said "I had to feed them 12 times in 24 hours and after a month, I used to feed them after every three hours. During my office timings, I used to carry them with me in a cage and manage their feeding after every two hours."

He said that the process of looking after the squirrel kittens was really a meticulous and arduous job as it left him unable to leave home and go to attend any outdoor activity.

"My family used to attend dinners outside and I would refrain from going out and instead looked after these kittens. My family members once told me that I was paying more attention to them than my kids. I said these kittens have no parents to care for them but my kids have their parents that is why I am helping them out," he said.

He said the squirrel kits had become over three months old and mature enough to be released in the wild. "An area near old Islamabad Zoo is connected to the forest and has a colony of squirrels which will serve as a suitable habitat for them. They will be released there in a week or so," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2022.