DEC Officer Separates Squirrels

DUTCHESS COUNTY, NY — Four young squirrels found themselves in a sticky situation until a concerned citizen and an intrepid environmental conservation officer came to the rescue.

A caller in Verbank reported May 14 that a group of squirrels appeared to have their tails tied together.

ECO Kevin Wamsley found out when he arrived that the juvenile squirrels had not been tied together but were, in fact, intertwined. That's because their tails were stuck together with a mass of nest debris and a tar-like substance later determined to be pine pitch.

The squirrels were struggling to free themselves from their siblings.

Wamsley captured the squirrels and began the meticulous task of freeing their tails. After some time and quite a bit of effort, Wamsley was able to pull and cut away the nesting materials and free the squirrels one by one.

All four squirrels were released on site.