Warning: Adult Language, Nudity and Strong Sexual Content. Reader discretion is advised. Just being dramatic.
I don't even know where to start, but for this part I have to go back a couple months.
First of all, escapes happen. They do. If a rehabber tells you they don't that person is either really new or full of s#@t because everything in captivity is trying to get out of said "tivity".
You add the never ending desire to be free (warranted, they are wild animals) to the absolute disaster the city's fireworks ordinance observation and for New Year's Eve you get three raccoons that go MIA.
I don't mean these suckers unlatched the pen and walked out easily either. The warzone of mortar shells and lights drove these terrified animals to pry the base wire out and flee from under the enclosure.
This is tunneling Pablo Escobar style here folks.
Don't get me wrong, I love fireworks - I do. Just keep them the f#@k out of the city! You'll be graced with my full vent on this subject and the impact to wildlife, pets, veterans on other PTSD survivors around Independence Day when we go through this crap again.
But I digress.
Three raccoons fled for their lives and long story short...as a responsible rehabber I looked for them for over a month.
Finally in February we were able to trap TWO of the escapees and put them back in captivity until spring.
*Note - I don't release animals other than squirrels (don't come for me) in my or ANY OTHER neighborhoods. If an animal busts loose, I get their ass back, take away their phones, put them on restriction from all video games and release them properly. So YES, they were recaptured.
Adult Content
I did this to myself because I said I was running a brothel during the jail break in a couple weeks ago.
Apparently the time spent on the run was something of a Trash Panda Rumspringa.
The female named Feral, on account of how FERAL she is, was one of the two we recaptured. She had missing patches of fur and to my surprise, this b@#$h also came back knocked up.
Now I know some of you non-raccoon lovers are thinking thinking, just release them now, they've got a momma. It's nature.
Absolutely not. Just like you shouldn't trap and relocate an animal because it's likely sending it to certain death, you don't take a new mama and her day old babies and put them out in the wilderness where she hasn't established herself in the environment. Everybody dies that way.
For those of you that are raccoon lovers, no...we aren't going to have baby playtime. Everybody dies that way too. Mama ain't having our nonsense.
So What Now?
I have no idea, I'm out of ideas.
Kidding, sort of.
First, we need to carve out a spot in the sanctuary to add more raccoon pens. This needs to happen yesterday.
Then we beg and plead for your help with raising the $1500 it will cost to construct the massive double enclosure.
In all seriousness, we need your help.
Everything except the houses that will go in the enclosure come from Tractor Supply and is fairly simple to put together.
We just need to get the supplies here and we'll be up and running in no time.
Hey Tractor Supply, want to help a sister out?
In the interim we hope she doesn't kill her roommate while we get things started around here. (Mango, it was nice knowin ya little buddy)
We also have to hope this new enclosure edition to the sanctuary that it's enough to survive this season.
We haven't even made it through a full month of Spring yet.
Kill me now.
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