By Ted Hayes

Five years in to her career as Westport’s only wildlife rehabilitator, Cheryl Aguiar , 52, relies on donations to keep the doors open, and it’s not always easy. But payment comes in many forms, and she is rich in friends.

Among them are Lanie, an inquisitive squirrel who came in several years ago and decided to stay after being released into Aguiar’s large wooded yard. Yodi, a hairless rabbit with a genetic mutation who always comes when she calls him out of his cozy polar fleece nook. White Ears, a squirrel who suffered a car strike, got her name for obvious reasons and loves to be hand-fed nuts (they all do). And Bucky, a tiny chipmunk with a neurological issue that causes him to lose his balance — “he’s not quite all better yet.”

There are others, and there will be mor

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