A flurry of furry tails

You're walking to class, enjoying IU's colorful fall foliage, when out of nowhere a cluster of acorns falls from above.\nA furry tail flickers as it jets down the tree trunk and a frantic brown fox squirrel begins to dig for more seeds and nuts beneath a blanket of fallen leaves.\nThis scene is commonplace on IU's wooded campus, where many squirrels make their home.\nMichele Risinger, a first-year graduate student, said she has experienced this situation before.\n"The squirrels seem tame here with so many people around who usually don't bother them while they're hunting for food," Risinger said. "There have been several instances where I have almost been hit by acorns while walking near Kirkwood Avenue, but I'm not sure if the squirrels themselves are to blame."\nWhile some enjoy stopping to watch squirrels perform their acrobatic maneuvers as they scale tall branches and trees, one IU staff member has a unique connection with one squirrel scampering around campus.\nMary Ann Miller, an academic adviser in the biology department, helped nurse a squirrel back to health in the spring after finding out the animal had a skin disease known as mange.\nThe squirrel, nicknamed "E.T." by one of Miller's co-workers, was almost bald with several sores on its wrinkled body, only distinguishable by her fluffy tail.\n"She looked so helpless, it was so sad to see her suffering," Miller said. "I had to help not only because I love animals, but I can't stand to see an animal that is hurting or in trouble."\nAfter a recommendation to treat the squirrel with kitten flea powder, Miller began to notice the squirrel's dramatic improvement. \n"Within three weeks, she had all of her hair back and her sores were gone," Miller said. "I know which one she is now because of her long fingers and small spot near her tail where a patch of hair never grew back."\nMiller has a bird feeder attached to the outside of her office window and stocks it with seed for birds, chipmunks and squirrels to nibble on. She also lines a thick trail of seed along the end of the cement bench near the feeder.\n"Once when E.T. was still sick, I sat there one day feeding her under an umbrella when it was pouring down rain," Miller said. "I bet people thought I was nuts, but (E.T.) trusted me and knew I wanted to help her."\nSix months and several seeds later, the now-healthy squirrel frequents the grassy area outside Miller's office window, sometimes waiting for Miller to refill the seed near the bird feeder and along the end of Jordan Hall's long cement bench.\n"I've seen her in the morning for the past couple days," Miller said. "I think it's because she's hidden all of her nuts for the winter." \nWhen Miller originally found E.T., she called Jan Turner, a volunteer at Bloomington's WildCare center, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates animals from around the state.\nTurner is the team leader for the squirrel team and for the large rabies vector species team, which includes foxes, coyotes and raccoons.\nSince joining WildCare six years ago, Turner has rehabilitated hundreds of squirrels and other animals brought in to the organization.\n"Many of the squirrels brought in have been injured from vehicles, larger animals or from storms that blow baby squirrels out of the trees," said Turner, who also works in the dean's office at IU's School of Law. "There are also hunters who shoot the moms and her babies are orphaned."\nTurner said in E.T.'s case, Miller did the right thing by calling her and doing the proper research while finding out how to help the squirrel. \n"Many people who find orphaned, injured or sick wildlife want to help, but unfortunately they ultimately cause more damage to the animal because of a lack of knowledge," Turner said. "But (Miller) took the time to research treatment options and to ensure her own safety as well as the squirrel's. Because she cared, this story had a happy ending."\nWhile trudging through IU's snowy campus in the upcoming months, one will still see squirrels out and about digging for food, since tree squirrels don't hibernate in the winter.\n"Their bodies don't allow storage of sufficient fat resources for true hibernation," said Clara Cotten, a zoology professor in the biology department. "During cold weather, fox squirrels will become dormant for a few days at a time where they remain curled up in their nests."\nCotten said the plentiful amount of squirrels on IU's campus is mainly attributed to the squirrels' two mating seasons.\n"There never seems to be a shortage of squirrels around here because there are two breeding seasons each year," Cotten said. "One in late spring and one in early-to-mid winter."\nFor Miller, an abundance of the bushy-tailed animals adds a special element to IU, as she is happy to see squirrels -- especially E.T. -- visit the seed pile near her office window. \n"Squirrels are sweet little creatures and they add a lot to our campus," Miller said. "They make it really homey."\n-- Contact senior writer Maura Halpern at mhalpern@indiana.edu.