#racoonlove

[i-am-amateya]

We had a cutes visitor! #racoon #racoonlove #cute #wildanimal #notacat https://www.instagram.com/p/CDVx3ITFNK8/?igshid=mwj0h62rvdqq

[salannmagazine]

Rocky Chinese characters: disguise, skillful, dexterity, and curious. #racoonsofinstagram #racoons #racoonlove #rocky #scavengers #connieluebbertartist #trashpanda #saltandlightstudios #painting #watercolor #ricepaper #create #raccoon #americanizationofchinesebrushpainting https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wJpXqH0yw/?igshid=1p6sy3r3r6geb

[cazedmunds]

Saturday night! Hmmm, what to do? What to eat? #SaturdaySnacking #Racoon #RacoonLove

[riadark]

Those Poor Souls

Last night, while watching a raccoon nibble on scraps from a very close distance, I thought to myself—we have our first victim.

The first earth & earthling post will be about the plight of the urban dwelling non-human earthlings.

Let’s start with my masked marauder. A pane of glass separated us but I was close enough to know he or she was not afraid of me. My posturing, my tone of voice, my chemistry, I am sure tipped him or her off that I was cool. A part of me wanted to feed this cold and hungry neighbor, but I don’t feed human street dwellers either. Don’t want to make a habit of them coming around. I have cats and kids to look out for. I had remembered however, that my son is fairly laissez faire about emptying out the cat cans into the cat bowls, so I knew there was some good stuff in there just going to waste. So I just sat there and spent a quiet moment watching those little hands grab some grub.

The raccoon possesses incredible tactile sensitivity, just like us. With both hands they can acutely manipulate objects and this also allows them to be great problem solvers. So let’s say, they are pregnant and need shelter because they are about to give birth and it is cold and unsafe, they will be able to recognize and entryway to a home ( one that is usually there because the homeowner didn’t fix the siding or didn’t patch a hole).

So, out comes the “pest control” “professional” and tells you that they will be released into the wild, which still spells certain death for the raccoon or the raccoon it has to fight for territory, and illegal, and/or they euthanize the raccoon and the babies end up dying too along the way (most likely). I’ll never forget the day I saw one of them trapped in that metal container in the back of that pickup, looking at me to save its life, and I couldn’t. I felt devastated, but I had my children with me and the man that had trapped them had come down and was asking me to step away so he could leave. I tried to engage him, to try to appeal to his compassion, and he started to get agitated. Had I tried to release the raccoon, I would have been arrested and even charged with child endangerment. I backed down. One of the few times in my life that I have.

I once met a neighbor down the street who was telling me her story about that “damn raccoon” in her attic space and how she had it taken away. I told her about the fact that they were just looking for shelter, that that was a death sentence and she dismissed me. I wanted to say more and I may even have but I was so stunned and dismayed, all I could think about were those eyes of that earthling in the back of the truck, being sent to a gas chamber.  

Then there was the time, another neighbor in another part of town would brag about shooting them in his backyard.

And then I remembered the year we had babies. Two sets.

The first set were five raccoons. Newborns. Our furnace was on the fritz and we called for repairs. The guy who came heard the commotion and said, he would not service my furnace if there was a raccoon and her babies here. At the time, my baby was 1 yr old and it was winter. Deep, bitte,r unusually cold Winter. I was desperate. I tried to get into the spot and the mother started to gently growl, then she tried to take them out, but it was too snowy and she kept slipping down. She eventually left, in the hopes that I would not notice her children or go after her or perhaps her instinct directed her to. I took the babies and put them in a carrier. Their eyes were closed and they were as helpless as I was. I took them to the garage, left the door cracked with some cat food and hoped their mother would return. I would have let them stay in the garage if they had been there in the morning. I called the wildlife service who called me back at 7 in the morning after the furnace was fixed and our home warm again. I went out to check on them and all five were frozen solid. Their faces frozen in the place of their futile cries for warmth and their mother. My heart was black and heavy from grief and guilt.

The second was when a mother had found an opening in the soffit and had gotten into deadppace where there was nothing, just a small little square box with a roof over its head. No wires, no connection to the attic, and not quite overhead.  We would hear the occasional bump and then by February some occasional rumblings. After a couple of sightings of the momma going out for regular nights of hunting, we realized we had a family move in next to our bedroom. And we rejoiced. When the five children started to get too big for that room day and night, they would come out of the soffit, right onto the roof of the porch overhang and right where our bedroom windows looked out onto the street. The cutest little five faces, eyes with thick black liner and eyes full of wonder, scurrying around sniffing the air and bumping into each other, chatting excitedly. In the summer nights, they would attempt to open the screen window. As we were not threatened, neither by the little ones being naturally curious, neither by window faltering because they were securely clasped and the screen was thick and metal, we found their little nails sliding along the aluminum frames, capricious and a moment in time in our lives when we had five raccoons and their mom enriching our lives by moving in with us.

Most people do not know that at one point (8-9 weeks), the mother will take her children to their summer den. Probably by water, maybe that stocked pond in your backyard, the river, the man-made lake, the dam, a creek. Who wants to live in a hot attic all summer??? THAT is when you seal up the hole and when she looks for place, she will find your no vacancy sign— and move on.  

April Mission Two- All earthlings have the right to feel live, to feed their young and to seek shelter. Please do not euthanize and instead learn to live with your neighbors. This link will show you how.

http://www.nativeanimalrescue.org/living-raccoons/

[r1cktm]

Just smile, keep your head up and hope for good things to come #beingstrong #redpanda #favoriteanimal #racoonlove