Woman gets court summons for rescuing baby squirrels (video)

A warm-hearted woman in the USA woman has been charged for rescuing two baby squirrels that were abandoned by their mother last year.

When Maria Vaccarella, from New Jersey, rescued two squirrels last year she never thought her act of kindness would turn into a wildlife court case.

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Vaccarella explained that last summer a squirrel in her neighbourhood had two babies and then ran off, leaving the babies to fend for themselves - and she says she felt she had no choice but to take them in and care for them herself.

She named them George and Lola and undertook the responsibility of feeding them every two hours when they were young.

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At one point, Vaccarella says she contacted a professional rehabilitator but they told her to keep the squirrels for now.

But when she started posting their progress on Facebook, state officials saw them they came knocking.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service told Vaccarella that they had seen the photos on Facebook and wanted to know whether she was keeping the squirrels in her home.

Vaccarella says all they told her initially was that she couldn't go on keeping the squirrels.

Then a summons arrived in the mail and the animal lover was forced to go to court.

According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection there are laws in place to protect people from wildlife like squirrels since they can transmit diseases to humans.

She has pleaded 'not guilty' to the charge, but the DEP has said it does not plan to prosecute to the full extent of the law.