Meet Three Very Special Baby Squirrels from Poreč: Bim, Bum, and Bam!

The sweet trio in these photos are Bim, Bum, and Bam, squirrels rescued from dehydration and starvation after likely losing their mother a few days ago in the forest near the Home for the Elderly in Poreč. They were saved by a phone call from the home's residents and staff, with special thanks to our fellow citizen Dean Maršić.

Bim and Bum

While sitting on the benches in front of the home, a tiny creature started circling around the residents' feet. Recognizing what it was, Maršić called our fellow citizen Nataša Basanić Čuš, the director of Zdravi Grad Poreč and a well-known animal rescuer, especially of birds.

Meanwhile, the home’s staff, eager to help, sprang into action. "They brought me boxes, plastic containers, towels, and other items they thought might help. They even offered to drive with me to the vet," Nataša told us.

Knowing that my wife Conny and I have been caring for a colony of squirrels near Hotel Galijot for years, Nataša also called us. We met at the home, where, to everyone’s surprise and excitement, another baby squirrel appeared. After a brief "hunt" around the tree, we placed them in a carrier and took them to Nataša’s home. We then called veterinarian Branko Jurić, who, despite it being a non-working day, opened his clinic and provided the first supply of milk formula needed for feeding the baby squirrels.

In addition to the timely phone call, the little squirrels were saved from thirst by the fact that the bushes they were hiding in were watered by a drip system.

Based on previous experiences with young squirrels and knowing there could be more siblings without their mother's care, Conny and I stayed on watch at the home that day and the next, but to no avail.

And Bam!

However, the following day, we were informed that a third squirrel had appeared. Exhausted from dehydration and hunger, we managed to catch it relatively easily and took it to join its small family, which, after a brief initial hesitation, recognized it and started nudging and chasing it around the tiny cage. In the cage, there was a towel for them to cuddle and sleep in, a branch for maintaining their teeth and licking various substances beneficial for their growth and development, and even a proper little toilet in the corner of the cage that they immediately chose as the place to relieve themselves. Such neat little creatures!

Bim, Bum, and Bam stayed with Nataša for a week, and then moved to our place. They lived in a hamster cage for two weeks until we had a proper large squirrel cage made for them.

We will do our best to give them the chance at life that was almost taken from them. They were about five weeks old when we found them, and it will take about four months for them to be ready to return to nature and live independently. As always, veterinarians will assist us, and for the first time in over three years, we have included donors in this effort.

We will occasionally report on the progress of our new forest friends here, and you can also follow them on the Instagram and Facebook page Porečke vjeverice as well as onTwitteru.

* Photo by Nataša Basanić Čuš.

** Why the names BIM, BUM, and BAM? - The squirrels were named after the super popular children’s TV show hosted by Paolo Bonolis, Manuela Blanchard, and Marco Bellavia, which was watched by at least half of Istria in the 1980s and 1990s.

The original article by Dražen Požarić can be read here: https://www.parentium.com/clanak/upoznajte-tri-sasvim-posebne-porecke-bebe-one-su-bim-bum-i-bam

After 2 weeks: