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WHEN SHE AND HER BABIES WERE REMOVED FROM THE GRAPEFRUIT TREE SHE CALLED HOME, ALONG CEDAR AND MAPLE STREETS IN SANTA CRUZ "UNFORTUNATELY, SHE HAD CHEWED A HOLE IN THE BOX THAT WE DID NOT THINK SHE WAS CAPABLE OF GETTING OUT OF AND SHE GOT OUT." IN WHAT BECAME A BIG PRODUCTION, SANTA CRUZ FIRE, THE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER AND NATIVE ANIMAL RESCUE ALL RESPONDED TO REPORTS ON AN AGGRESSIVE SQUIRREL ON MAPLE STREET LAST FRIDAY. BUT AS SOON AS EMILY WAS CAPTURED, RESCUERS SAY SHE BEGAN GNAWING THROUGH THE BOX SHE WAS BEING KEPT IN. THIS IS WHAT IS LEFT OF THE CARRIER SHE WAS WAS IN- THERE ARE SEVERAL HOLES AND SHE WAS ABLE TO SQUEEZE THROUGH ONE AND GET AWAY. "VOLUNTEERS AT NATIVE ANIMAL RESCUE TRIED EVERYTHING TO TRY AND LURE EMILY BACK EVEN USING BABY SQUIRREL SOUNDS." "THAT'S ONE OF THE TACTICS WE USED BUT WHEN YOU'RE WORKING WITH WILDLIFE THIS STUFF HAPPENS A LOT." WHILE EMILY IS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND HER THREE TWO-AND- A-HALF-WEEK OLD BABIES -TWO MALES AND A FEMALE- CONTINUE TO RECOVER AT AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATI "I FEED THEM AROUND THE CLOCK. I GET UP A COUPLE OF TIMES A NIGHT AND FEED THEM AND IT'S ABOUT 3 HOURS A DAY, DURING THE DAY. THERE IS ACTUALLY POWDERED SQUIRREL MILK THAT WE MIX WITH WATER AND IT'S ESPECIALLY FORMULATED FOR BABY SQUIRRELS." EMILY'S STORY HAS RECEIVED NATIONAL ATTENTION THROUGH NEWS OUTLETS AND SOCIAL MEDIA "IT'S JUST SOMETHING YOU DON'T HEAR ABOUT VERY OFTEN. IT'S OUT OF THE NORM." IS IT POSSIBLE THAT EMILY COULD BE TRYING TO MAKE HER WAY BACK TO THAT TREE ON MAPLE STREET IN DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ/ "I DOUBT IT. I THINK IT'S FAR ENOUGH AWAY . WE TEND TO GET AN ANIMAL FAR AWAY FROM IT'S HOME BASE IT DOESN'T GO BACK" AS FOR EMILY'S BABIES, THEY'RE BEING CARED FOR IN AN OUTDOOR ENCLOSURE WHERE THEY'RE SLOWLY BEING MADE READY FOR AN EVENTUAL RELEASE. IN SANTA CRUZ PHIL GOMEZ KSBW ACTION NEWS EIGHT.# HAPPENING NOW

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Emily, the aggressive Santa Cruz squirrel recently evicted from its home in a grapefruit tree along Cedar and Maple Street, is now an animal rescue escapee. Last week, the mother squirrel had reportedly bitten several passersby who got to near the tree and her newborn babies. On Friday, Emily and her litter were relocated by the Native Animal Rescue in Santa Cruz. The process of grabbing the vicious squirrel required the help of Santa Cruz Fire, County Animal Shelters and the CHP. Emily didn't go down without a fight, biting the animal handler that finally captured her. Over the weekend, Emily chewed her way to freedom from a cardboard carrier. Like many animals, wildlife experts believe that Emily got stressed when she and her babies were captured. "Unfortunately, she had chewed a hole in the box that we did not think she was capable of getting out of and she got out," said Amy Redfeather, Native Animal Rescue chief volunteer in charge.There were several holes in her carrier in which she was able to squeeze through one and get away.Volunteers at Native Animal Rescue tried everything to try and lure Emily back, even using baby squirrel sounds."That's one of the tactics we used but when you're working with wildlife this stuff happens a lot," said Redfeather.While Emily is nowhere to be found, her three 2-and-a-half-week-old babies continue to recover at an undisclosed location. "I feed them around the clock. I get up a couple of times a night and feed them and it's about three hours a day, during the day. There is actually powdered squirrel milk that we mix with water and it's especially formulated for baby squirrels," said Beth, a registered veterinarian technician who has worked with squirrels for more than 20 years.Emily's story has received national attention through news outlets and social media"It's just something you don't hear about very often. It's out of the norm," said Brendan Harris, of Reno.Is it possible that Emily could be trying to make her way back to that tree on Maple Street in downtown Santa Cruz?"I doubt it! I think it's far enough away. We tend to get an animal far away from its home base it doesn't go back," said Redfeather.