Baby Raccoons Wranglers

How many people does it take to capture two tiny baby raccoons?

Answer: Most of my neighborhood.

There was a family of raccoons living under my neighbor Daren’s cottage. The mother raccoon disappeared and left her two babies to fend for themselves. Unfortunately these little guys were fending very noisily and Daren was forced to block the entrance to their nest.

The babies (kits) stuck around because that is what they knew. It was also where their food source was—plums.

Daren didn’t really want them hanging around so we developed a plan.

We would trap them in a live trap. I would drive them to the wildlife rescue center, where loving people who cared about native wildlife would raise them.

After one of the kits walk right up to one of my sons and sniffed his foot, we thought this would be easy. We’ll just set the live trap right in their pathway with lots of yummy plums, blueberries and grapes as bait.

The first night—no raccoons, so we moved the trap.
The second night—no raccoons, we moved the trap again.
Third night—same thing.

This went on for a while and we were getting nervous that we would accidentally trap a skunk instead.

Saturday I got a call from Daren. He said that he’d had a raccoon sighting. I raced across the street to see. They were right there in front of us wandering back and forth on one of Daren’s retaining wall.

What now?

We could set the trap in their path. Would they go in? Naaah. We came up with this elaborate plan. We would throw a heavy blanket over them and hold it down, place the trap in one end and herd them into the trap.

I got a little closer to the babies just to get a feel for it’s exact position and it growled at me. Oooh, I think we need more people to hold down the blanket.

Daren’s teenage daughter and her friend soon joined us. After all, raccoons are members of the bear family. They can be mean. And they weighed about half a pound each for heavens sake.

I brought over the heaviest blanket I had. It’s this huge thing I got at a garage sale. It must weigh 30 pounds—no joke. I checked on the raccoons again and they hissed at me.

We are going to need more people to hold the trap door open and prod them into the cage. So we called our neighbor Marcus, who called our other neighbor Pat. They each brought their families.

Our raccoon wranglers were in place.

Daren and I threw the blanket over the cage—and the raccoons. Pat and Marcus jumped up and over the wall to hold it in place. The teenage girls held the other sides of the blanket down while I held open the cage and pulled the blanket down around the sides.

Nothing.

Let’s face it, the sheer weight of the blanket had probably pinned them to the ground and kept them from going anywhere.

Daren finally lifted the blanket and prodded the poor little things into the cage.
In they came—da-doop da-doop da-doo. They just sauntered in. Then they looked at me, like—it’s the middle of the day, we’re trying to sleep, what do you want?

I shut the cage door and we moved them onto the lawn and covered them up so they wouldn’t get too scared. Of course that was after each of us had stuck our big faces up to the cage and taken pictures.

I called the wildlife rescue center. I was feeling great about saving these little guys and releasing them somewhere safer when they were older and more able to take care of themselves.

I had the number of the wildlife center on my refrigerator. I had taken many orphaned birds there before. They were always so sweet and willing to help.

I dialed the phone and a woman answered. I told her about my little orphans. She told me that she couldn’t take them unless they were injured. Not only that but she was rude to me. What?

She said if they had survived this long without a mom they would be fine. I said maybe so but my neighbor doesn’t want them growing up in his backyard. She said, “Maybe your neighbor should get educated about wildlife.” I said, “How ‘bout I have him call you and you can educate him.” She said “fine”.

But the Center didn’t answer their phone for the rest of the day.

Sheesh, she was not a very nice lady.
After calling a few more places I was given more information in a very pleasant way. Evidently there is law against transporting raccoons. Apparently, if you try to move the raccoons they won’t be able to survive.

In the end, we did relocate the babies but their new home was not too far from the old one and it had a food source.

Sorry this isn’t a better picture, but they weren’t sticking around to say “cheese”

Comments

[kate]

Ah, they are so cute ... but they can be mean, as I once discovered when I interrupted some going through my garbage. My cat wasn't afraid though and she chased them away.

Those are great photographs. It looks as if you have an amazing neighbourhood - everyone getting involved in the act of catching the raccoons. I was surprised that the wildlife centre wasn't more helpful. That is unusual!

[Annie in Austin]

It was the neighborhood festival aspect that impressed me, too, Chigiy. That's something to cherish.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

[Jacqueline]

Hey Chigiy,

Where'd you leave them babies, after all, you troublemakers? ;)

What a great post. It's this kind of adventure that takes mountain living from great to incredible.

[chigiy]

Kate,
They are so cute but your right, they are mean. Those two little babies did not show one little inkling of friendliness. Which is really good for their survival.
I was very suprised that the Center was not more helpful and more friendly. They are supported by donations. I hate to say this but, DUH.

Annie,
I love my neighborhood. We have so much fun. Lots of parties and BBQ's we're very close.

Jacqueline,
Mountain living is incredible. I love it.