“This has gone on for 3 years! All the other releases have gone wild. The ones that were released at Linda’s house will still come and eat at night, sometimes bring their babies too, but they are scared of us and won’t approach us closely. Little Hands is just special and super adorable!”

Nikki guessed why Little Hands returned to them: “I guess this is always his home. He knows he can come back for an easy meal, but some animals want more than a full stomach. Comfort and love.”

“The best part of saving animals is watching them grow, learn, thrive and mature. The Hardest Part, which is also one of the best parts, is release time. Usually, by the time of release, they’ve already been mostly on their own but still confined in an outdoor enclosure. When the time comes to do our soft release, we don’t know if we may see them again.”