The babies were discovered in Dutchess County last month when the state Department of Environmental Conservation responded to the call from the hamlet of Verbank, in the town of Union Vale.
Conservation Officer Kevin Wamsley responded to the location and discovered that the juvenile squirrel tails were stuck together with a mass of nest debris and a tar-like substance later determined to be pine pitch.
The squirrels were struggling to free themselves from their siblings, Wamsley said.
Wamsley was able to capture the squirrels and began the meticulous task of freeing their tails.
After some time and quite a bit of effort, he was able to pull and cut away the nesting materials and free the squirrels one by one.
All four squirrels were released on site.
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