It was talking quite a bit last night; I assumed the noise was typical youngsters out of the nest ruckus -- our neighborhood has generally well-behaved raccoons, thanks, I suspect, to the more aggressive ones getting weeded out by feral dogs and annoyed homeowners, but in the summer there is a bit more late-night bustle and chatter. We've had "abandoned" baby raccoons before and they've been reclaimed by Mama within twelve hours. This one's going on 24, and I am suspecting the parent may never return.
There's not a whole lot you can do with a baby raccoon; they carry any number of ailments and parasites that would endanger the cats and it's against the law to adopt 'em. Animal Control doesn't foster or rehabilitate raccoons, they put them down. It is likely that the kindest thing I could do for this animal is to take it out with a clean shot -- but I can't bring myself to do it. I'll give it another day and we'll see what happens.
Poor little raccoon.
5 comments:
I don't suppose there's a wildlife rehabber by you? I had to track one down a while back for an injured sparrow who was States (literally) away from his usual range.
Call me..Tam has my number. Night be that I can help. I have helped orphaned kits before. I know a guy who feeds 'em in a barn until they leave on their own......
It is sad when these little guys get stranded and years ago I knew some folks who tried to raise baby raccoon as a pet. They found out that a grown male is, by his nature, a mean aggressive animal that will try to rip your face off and eat it.
Also if you raise a wild animal as a pet, keeping it in a cage, and then release it to the wild it has no idea what to do on its own. I did that with a coyote when I was a kid. When I decided it was not going to become a pet I shot rabbits to feed it every day or so and then set it free out in the country.
That poor animal took off running in circles across a field and I knew then that the right thing would have been for me to put it down and I made a bad mistake trying to make it into a pet in the first place.
It would be nice if B can help you place the kit with a knowledgeable person who knows how to transition a wild animal back to nature.
The babies are cuter than sin.
But I do quite despise the adults.
I've no really good advice, Roberta, but I do sincerely hope you don't become attached. For all the reasons you quite obviously already know well.
I know people who have attempted to make pets of Raccoons. I know enough of them to recognize the truth in the saying about it.
"He's like a pet 'coon. If he can't get into it and tear it up. he'll crap on it."
Cats may have been the same way 10,000 years or so ago, but they got over some of it. Raccoons, not so much.
You don't want it, long term. Trust me on this, even if it were legal, it's terribly unwise unless you really don't like your home and want it destroyed.
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