I have rescued an injured opossum 2 months ago that was hit by a
car. Hoping I could release him, he now prefers to hang out with my 3 small
dogs. So the opossum and cat picture you have I can relate to! Keep up this
site its great. Carmen from South Carolina.
Carmen,
that’s amazing. Similar to a watering hole where all the animals go to drink.
Bonnie
Loved the pictures.....can we expect more?
That last one is priceless.
Gail Germany
Houston, TX
Thank you - so glad you enjoyed them. The next group will have to include my indoor kitty, Princess.com She is an avid squirrel and bird watcher.
Bonnie
I am originally from Olney, Illinois so I was glad to see information about
the white squirrels. I enjoy coming home to visit and showing my children
the unique squirrels I grew up with. Living in different parts of the
country, I am proud to see these type of articles on the internet. It brings
me back to my roots.
Jennifer Morgan-Morin
ERHS Class of '80
Glad you liked the site.
Did you remember that the Police have an official patch with a white squirrel on it? Or did that start after you left?
Bonnie
Hi!
I loved your website-and I thought we had a zoo!
Actually, these days it's a bit placid...down to four cats, two Geckos, two dogs, and about fifty fish-we've started a reef aquarium (install and service) company.
But then, we're in the middle of the city, and occasionally see hawks, lots of other birds; snakes, turtles and we hear the coyotes in the summer. When we lived by the Dam spill-way, we saw Elk and deer (and now I hear mountain lions.)
We also have a two-tier pond with Leopard Frogs, crawdads, guppies and 5 Koi, 15 Goldfish and assorted dragonflies.
We also baby-sit for a Double green Amazon Parrot-who runs the house when he's here.
Good to meet animal lovers!
PS( is your Cripple Creek in Colorado?)
Bye for now-
Linda Rockhold
Nature's Reef
sprintcat@home.com
Good luck! Bonnie
I just wanted to let you know I enjoyed your site immensely. I also love
watching wildlife at my house. I have a family of racoons that eat on my
porch every night. Your sight was presented very well. It is one of the
best sites I have encountered.
I love hearing that you loved it! Thanks. It is so interesting to watch the raccoons family. When they come regularly you can tell that each one has their own personality. There is definitely a "pecking" order.
Bonnie
Enjoyed the words and pictures....I too love the animals .....I am
currently writing a book about about a racoon that lived with me uncaged
for 2 + years.....we need more people to be concerned about co-existing
with animals.....Man is pushing the racoon, opossum and other wildlife into
small areas with no water or food supply......the destruction that racoons
do is obvious, since they are in the top 10 of the smartest animals on our
planet, however, it has been my experience, not only with Lucky Boy (my
raccoon), but also the 15 I fed in Austin, Texas that they stop their
agression when their hunger and water needs are satisfied......
Thanks again....enjoyed your mail so much.....I am typing on a friend's
computer but you can reply if you wish......Gwen...
Hi Gwen,
That is a book I would love to read. Please let us know when have it ready
for publishing. If you like we could include the first chapter, or a table of contents and a book
review, or a summary on our website for
people to read and have a place for them to contact you for advance orders,
or once published a way to get the book. The large bookstores are getting to be like censors for us.
I like the idea of people being able to find their "specialty" book. The music industry is recognizing
the value of the internet for this inexpensive way of reaching the public. It is the people that are
making it happen though. We will do our part for the animal lovers.
Good luck! Bonnie
Hi there,
I typed in squirrel on a search engine and found your Zoo.
I was curious about that albino squirrel because we have one too! He
showed up last spring shortly after the big ice storm we had in Montreal
during January 1998. In fact, we have noticed a various assortment of
"New Aged" squirrels in our yard that we have NEVER seen before, and
we've lived on the Island of Montreal for over 50 years!
Besides that albino one we have one black squirrel and one
that is darker grey then the other (normal) grey squirrels and he has a
tuffed black crest on the top of his head! It honestly started us
wondering if someone had been feeding and dropping water on them after
midnight..;) (re; the movie "Gremlins")
The Albino one actually is a little larger then the rest of
the squirrels and slightly more aggressive. He/she won't budge from
their chosen spot for feeding and will chase all other squirrels around
the trees.
Another new squirrel habit we've noticed this spring
especially is that one of them keeps chomping off about 6-8 inch tips
from one of the very tall pines at the edge of our yard and building
what looks like a Crow or Raven's nest at the top. As soon as a strong
wind comes along most of the nest gets scattered all over the yard but
they keep building it. They've nearly stripped the top foliage of that
poor Pine.It's about 80 ft high, so I find this very strange.
Lynda
Hi Lynda,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
Is the Island of Montreal in the Atlantic ocean or inland? It sounds like
there is a lot of action in your backyard too. Aren't they fascinating to
watch. And so feisty! Imagine rebuilding after every big storm.
It
reminds me a little of people who live on and near the rivers that overflow
and how they struggle.
Bonnie
I live in South Portland Maine stuck between a Mall and a Air Port.
But Im luckly to have a small patch of woods behind my apt.
In the past four years I've been feeding coons, skunks, posuums, and many
stray cats.
The attached file is a pic of the kids from last year.
Hope you enjoy.
From Robin Wilson,
I was very saddened by this article. I was born in Olney and grew up there
for 15 years. I recently moved away but my heart remains there. I can not
imagine the white squirrels not being a way of life. They have always been
the pride of the town. I grew up feeding them french fries from McDonalds
and I can't imagine my children not being able to do the same. I deeply hope
that something can be done to save them. I will be moving home soon and I
hope I can return to the things I grew up doing.
Hi Robin,
Thank you for the input. I hadn't thought how terrible it must be for the residents and
former residents of Olney. I appreciate your thoughtful insight. You might write to one
of your school friends and find out if there is an update to this story. Anything they have
been able to do to help the White Squirrels. Please let me know.
Bonnie
Let us know if you have enjoyed BACKYARD ZOO, your comments are appreciated.
To the Zoo Entrance