Alice- Belding’s Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi)
Here’s our little educational ambassador, Alice. She’s an orphaned Belding’s ground squirrel. Alice came in Spring 2023 with a severe respiratory and eye infection. She lost her right eye as a result. She cannot be released back to the wild. These ground squirrels spend 6-8 months in torpor (hibernation light), but do not cache food supplies for the below ground winter naps. Instead, they spend about 40% of their time eating all summer and then live off of their fat reserves during torpor.
