How many times have you made the excuse that you can’t do something because you don’t have enough money, or because you don’t have enough time? More often than not, we make excuses for something when it is low down on our priorities, as opposed to actually not being able to do the thing.
But this next story will make you rethink every excuse that you’ve ever made. A woman who had been homeless for over eight years decided that despite barely having enough food to feed herself, she was going to feed some to a starving squirrel to help keep him alive.
The squirrel is now recovering well at a local wildlife center, and now a fundraiser has been started to raise money to help the generous homeless woman who gave even when she wasn’t in a position to give.
Tabitha Aldrich was in the right place at the right time when she witnessed a squirrel almost being hit by a car in Columbia, South Carolina.
She immediately jumped into action and took the squirrel to Memorial Park in Downtown Columbia, where he would be away from the road. But the squirrel had decided that he had a friend in Tabitha, and he didn’t want to leave.
“We tried to release him here at Memorial Park but he just kept on following us,” Tabitha told ABC13 News.
Despite not even having much food for herself, Tabitha shared her snack with the squirrel, who she named Rocky, and as he ate ravenously, she decided that he was in need of more than just a snack. So the selfless woman loaded up some minutes on her phone and called Laura Ross at Squirreltopia Wildlife Rescue.
When Laura arrived, the squirrel was in a critical condition and it was clear that Tabitha had done the right thing in calling for help.
“They shared bits of their honey bun with him to keep him alive in between the sugar and the carbs it was enough to keep him up until I could get there,” Laura recalled. “There were 1,000 other things they could’ve been doing. One-thousand other things that we imagine homeless people do but they weren’t. They were saving a little squirrel.”
Apparently, if squirrels approach us, humans, then it’s actually a sign that there is something significantly wrong with them. So if you’re ever approached by a squirrel, be sure to check for injuries or malnourishment.
“When they need help they will come up to people,” said Laura. “Wild baby animals are naturally afraid of us and do not try to come up to us unless something is wrong. So if they are walking up to us they are starving to death.”
The squirrel was taken to Squirreltopia Wildlife Rescue and Sanctuary, where he is currently recovering from his ordeal. Laura says that he is doing very well, has eaten lots since arriving, and is also very active and playful.
I took your suggestions and sent Rocky’s story to the media to see if we could help our homeless heroes.
Our precious…
Posted by Squirreltopia Wildlife Rescue and Sanctuary on Wednesday, 7 October 2020
If it wasn’t for Tabitha, he probably would not be alive today.
“I was heartbroken that we couldn’t keep him,” said Tabitha. “But It makes me feel good that I was able to help Rocky out.”
Laura urges people to think differently about the stigmas that surround homeless people and has set up a GoFundMe to raise some money for Tabitha and her friends to get some help.
Without their quick and caring actions, the little squirrel would have continued to struggle by himself.
“They could’ve done a lot of things. They could’ve tried to make me buy the squirrel, but they didn’t,” Laura said. “They even checked back the next day to make sure he was OK, and check on him. I think that is phenomenal.”
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