At Backyard 'Mons we've taken care of hundreds, maybe even thousands of pokemon throughout the Unova metro with the goal of being reintroduced into the wild healthy again. However, there are a few pokemon we have that wouldn't be able to survive in the wild for various reasons. Fortunately for them, we're able to provide them with a great life here!
Moon, the male zorua kit, has a genetic mutation that prevents him from being able to create illusions! He was found in a friend's yard as a newborn abandoned by his mother who took all the other kits into the woods with her. We couldn't find anything wrong with Moon until we did a blood panel and found out he had this rare mutation!
Avalanche, the female absol, was one of the many victims of when Team Plasma froze Unova. She was running across Route 10 trying to warn the people, but the shock of the weather change caused many things to collapse, including the cliff edge she was jumping across. She survived with major wounds and ended up needing to get her leg amputated. Now she's elderly and lives a comfortable life here!
Hero, the female emolga, was part of a litter born in a dangerous area. My plan was to release all the babies and their mother once they were weaned, but Hero was different. She was nearly constantly suffering from electric fever and couldn't keep up with her littermates. When I took her to the pokemon center, I found out that her electric sacs were underdeveloped! Now that I know how to care for her, she lives a largely fever-free life.
Ladle, the female pelipper, was found as a wingull in Undella Town. A beachgoer noticed that she'd only hop rather than fly and got concerned about her, so he took her to a pokemon center. It was there the doctors found out her wings were stunted and small - not a rare deformity in birds. This beachgoer was a friend of mine so they knew where to go! Ladle wasn't meant to evolve in my care, but she's an absolute glutton. I looked away for 5 seconds and she got into the candy stash!
Beau, the male turtwig, was the first pokemon we ever took in! He's a captive-bred turtwig with gigantism, bone problems, and a slight head tilt. Unfortunately, "giant" turtwig are not rare to breed, and what would normally be a very rare disease is not uncommon in captive-bred turtwig. This is because, despite being dangerous to evolve, many people want giant torterra for their cool looks. Beau has severe health issues and we put a lot of work into making him thrive, but there are so many others like him who aren't thriving.
Malachite, the male aron, was found by my friend in a cave. He was being bullied by other aron, and when the trainer scared them off, he was startled to find out he had paralyzed hindlimbs. He was rushed to a pokemon center where they found out he'd been paralyzed for a while, having been seemingly caught in a rockfall. However, he'd be able to thrive in captivity...and that's where I step in! Malachite is one of our most difficult pokemon to care for due to his expensive diet and voracious appetite.
Pango, the female sandslash, was found being a "terror" and digging really close to human settlements. She didn't have the same fear for humans other sandslash did and definitely acted like she was once owned by a trainer - however, she didn't seem to fully understand her surroundings either. It took many tries to catch her, but someone eventually did and took her to the pokemon center, where they found out she had diabetes that caused her to go blind. There was no way she could've survived this long without trainer intervention, but she was dumped. There is a happy ending to this tragedy, however, as she's living an amazing life here!
