ecoLIVING London

I awoke this morning to a screechy little sound outside my window. A baby raccoon had been separated from his mum and was none too pleased. My heart sank. Before doing anything though, I called our friends at Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. It is truly wonderful when a person wants to help a distressed animal; yet, in our haste we often end up doing more harm than good. To ensure I wasn’t about to do the wrong thing, I called an expert.

First Things First
Brian suggested that I first have a look around for mum. Was she nearby? Had she been hit by a car? If she was around and healthy, he said to leave them both alone – no one is better at raising a baby than its mother. If she wasn’t around, he suggested that I try to contain him in a safe area nearby. We live on a busy street and so the likelihood of this little fella wondering out into traffic was high. At dusk, I could release him in that same safe area (preferably near a tree) and mum would come find him when she awoke. Apparently, racoon mamas can hear their young from quite a distance.

In addition to the instructions for this temporary housing (i.e. secluded/secure, quiet, well-ventilated, shaded, etc.), I was also told not to feed him as it would be better that he be hungry and vocal by the time night came (and let’s face it – we humans seem to always get the menu wrong anyways, i.e. choking ducks and geese with bread, jeez). Last but not least, he warned that all wildlife carry parasites, so I would need to wear gloves and then dispose of or disinfect whatever container I used to hold him for the day.

I grabbed some gloves and a cat carrier case and quickly made my way to the front of the building. When I rounded the corner - - - there he was, sitting under the mulberry tree with mum, enjoying a feast. They both looked up… paws to mouths. I smiled and left them to their breakfast.

(Note: If I had of implemented our rescue plan and mum hadn’t shown up that evening, my next step would have been to recapture and take him on a road trip out to Brian’s rehabilitation centre.)

A Little Perspective
On one of my first nights in a new apartment an adult racoon was hit by a car outside my front window. It wasn’t killed, just badly injured. I rushed out to try and help it, but it had somehow dragged its broken body up a tree. We both spent the remainder of the night crying.

I have always felt a connection to animals. I’d say, in large part, this connection is the reason why I do the work that I do for the environment. Unlike humans, our animal neighbours have never diverted from sustainable living. They take only what they need - - - living simply so that others may simply live. The human population, on the other hand, is experiencing unmitigated growth. We are everywhere, and the neighbouring wildlife is merely trying to survive in our midst. Please remember this fact the next time an animal runs out in front of your car, eats from your garden, or gets into your attic. While we do dominate this planet, it does not belong to us – we were meant to share it.

The How-To’s of Animal Rescue
If you happen across a WILD animal in distress, please call Salthaven at 519.264.2440. If you can’t get a hold of anyone there then you can try Animal Care & Control at 519.685.1330. You can also call AC&C for domestic animals (dogs and cats) that are lost or injured within city limits. If you come across an abuse situation, call the London Humane Society at 519.451.0630. In an urgent/life-threatening abuse situation, call the police at 911.

Tiffany Roschkow is the Founder and Executive Director of ecoLIVING London. She can be reached via email at tiffany [at] ecolivinglondon [dot] org.