BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 9, 2023
A squirrel covered in oozing sores and scaly raised growths on its body has the symptoms of squirrel pox and there is nothing cute about it. Squirrel pox growths show up on the outside of the squirrel most commonly around their eyes, mouths, feet and genitals. If there are enough of them, they can transform a squirrel from a welcome backyard visitor to something that belongs in a summer B-horror movie about zombie rodents. there is no reason to “rescue” or interfere with any lumpy squirrel you see. Shevenell Webb, wildlife biologist and furbearer specialist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said, “It is naturally occurring and will run its course in time.” What people can do is stop providing the perfect place for the squirrels to pick up the virus — bird feeders.