Words For Wildlife by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
DUSK ATTACK PART TWO
...... I began to wonder, How hard can it be to prep 4 young raccoons for release?
They decided the beautiful pond I built them was a perfect sewer system. They use it as their toilet so twice a day it has to be pumped dry, washed out and refilled with fresh water.
They use their water dish as a bath tub, after all who wants to bathe in a septic tank. The water dish also has to be changed up to four times a day. Of course every time I enter their cage its as if I am Elvis reincarnated in a sorority house, swarmed instantly with fans tugging and pulling at my clothes trying to get a memento or steal a kiss. As I go through the less than pleasant task of pumping the pond with a shop vac, Sweet pea seeks out the hose and begins playing with the water drenching herself and everything nearby as she tries to hold her hands over the end like the little Dutch boy trying to stop the leak in the dike.
Her newest thing is to aim the hose. She is capable of direct hits on me at will, I guess I need to start wearing a rain coat or scuba suit as the weather is getting a little cold to put up with a drenching every day.
Wet and cold I still have to feed and medicate the injured buck. It is already dark so I have to be particularly cautious watching for the night creatures that might be underfoot. In particular rattle snakes and copperheads are not very understanding if you step on them.
The baby raccoons are still busy about a hundred yards away in their pen chattering and playing circus as I take care of the deer. I could barley hear them from this distance but was sure I could hear something else moving around nearby. I glanced around once or twice and seeing nothing decided it must be a squirrel or mouse rustling the leaves.
As I talk softly to the deer I wondered if there are any bears around. I have not seen one since last year but know they would be actively feasting this time of year in preparation for winter. I also know you rarely saw a bear even when they are close as they are very stealthy.
The buck is acting a little odd as if he is reading my mind. I reminded both of us Bears rarely attack people. Of course I do have a 50 pound bag of sweet grain beside me for the deer. Sweet grain is like candy to most animals. It is a mix of grains and oats coated with molasses. It smelled really good and I began to imagine a giant bear with a spoon and bowl of milk seeking the sweet aroma of the cereal like mixture. Did you ever notice that the degree your imagination scares you is directly proportional to how dark it is?
It is very dark now and the old the imagination is revving up to a frenzy. I am really eager to put the tempting grain in the shed so I can get back to the safety of the house.
I hear trigs break and leaves shuffle. What ever is watching me is definitely bigger than a mouse and very close. I was really on edge as I closed the shed door telling myself it must be an armadillo, they are quite noisy. Suddenly something grabs my left pant leg with a hard tug and I feel claws pricked my skin. The adrenaline kicks into high gear as I feel the warmth and weight of a heavy bear paw against my thigh. I freeze, not wanting to panic and instantaneously glanced down to apprise myself of the gravity of my encounter, being ever so careful not to make eye contact as that can be considered a threat or challenge in bear language.
It was not a bear, one of the baby raccoons has snuck out of the pen and launched himself onto my leg. He is happily hanging on my pants apparently having followed me out to the deer pen. He weighs about what I wwould expect a bear paw to weigh and it would be an understatement to say I was glad to see the identity of the prankster. I offer my arm and he runs up it for a cuddle as I walked him back to his pen. I swear the other three raccoons where laughing as I tucked them in, double checked the cage latch and scurry back to my house to change my underwear.
I was beginning to understand just how hard it can be to take care of 4 young raccoons.
DID YOU KNOW THAT
Arkansas Raccoons rarely carry rabies. There has been a serious outbreak of rabies in raccoons on the East Coast but so far we have been lucky here. Raccoons can be very dangerous though with sharp teeth and claws and high intellect. When chased they have been known to drown dogs after luring them into water. They do not make very good pets as they are so smart it is very hard to keep them contained. Their curiosity is enormous and they get into everything. They are very messy high maintenance animal in captivity.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
