Jill Horstmann
Last Sunday [May 29] wasn’t just any Sunday. Juice, a squirrel with two legs who lives with Squirrelly AF founder Jill Horstmann, celebrated the squirrel’s first birthday with a party at Pittsburgh Mix at 5304 66th St. N. in St. Petersburg.
The actual date of his birth may have been less than accurate, but the event doubled as a fundraiser for the St. Petersburg squirrel rescue.
Jill Horstmann
“Juice slept most the day but when he woke he got his special bday cake (avocado mush.. coconut chips and a pecan on a cracker),” Horstmann said. “Happy Birthday to my best little friend.”
Juice found his way around the bar while on a leash, and clutched to Horstmann most of the evening. Two of his “special” squirrel friends, Twitch, who suffers from neurological issues, and Wheels, who has two paralyzed back legs, attended the party.
The two-legged squirrel had to have his hind legs amputated due to a run-in with a tree trimmer in his adolescence. Horstmann says he navigates life with two legs without much issue.
Through raffles and collections, the birthday party raised $2,111 of the $2,000 goal. The money helps care for Horstmann’s army of rescued rodents at her rescue.
“The animals just don’t stop,” Horstmann said. “I’m constantly having to fundraise.”
Squirrelly AF is a 501(c)(3) wildlife rescue.
