Wild Raccoons as Pets is Not a Good Idea...
This weekend a friend visited for two days and along with him came an adorable two-month-old raccoon abandoned by his mother. I must say I really enjoyed having the sweet little raccoon named “Baby” around for a few days. My five-year-old Bassett Hound “Opie” did not even seem to mind.
For two days, she followed our every move, performed tricks in the trees and took long naps on the deck and in the bushes with Opie.
She was very loveable and playful. I believe she did not even realize that she was a raccoon. I had almost forgotten as well until she followed me into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and she spotted leftover hamburgers on a plate. As she went for the plate of burgers, I went to pick her up and stop her and I quickly saw the wild animal instinct come out in her. Soon after this episode, she went back to her sweet self as though nothing happened. I, however, was aware of the fact that as cute as she was, she was a wild animal that had no place being around humans and domesticated pets. It is not only dangerous but also not fair to the wild animal itself. Many people think they are helping the abandoned raccoons by caring for them but they come to depend on humans and become pests and dangerous to the neighborhood and community.
I feel very blessed to have been able to have the experience to spend two days so close to a baby raccoon. I can truly see how one can be tempted to care for them and keep them as a pet. Not to mention, I had a blast taking pictures of her and she was a ham for the camera!
Wild animals should live in the wild as nature intended for everyone’s sake. If you do happen to stumble on a little wild animal that needs care, check your local listings for an organization that has experience with placing wild animals back into their environment. That would be a better choice for you, your neighborhood and the animal. Arrangements for Baby’s rehabilitation and return to a natural environment are under way. Let us help to keep wild animals away from our safe neighborhoods. Keep tight lids on your garbage cans, feed your domesticated animals indoors, and do not leave any food outside to attract wild animals to your yard. Think twice before you feed a wild animal. It will “bite the hand that feeds them.”
She was very loveable and playful. I believe she did not even realize that she was a raccoon. I had almost forgotten as well until she followed me into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and she spotted leftover hamburgers on a plate. As she went for the plate of burgers, I went to pick her up and stop her and I quickly saw the wild animal instinct come out in her. Soon after this episode, she went back to her sweet self as though nothing happened. I, however, was aware of the fact that as cute as she was, she was a wild animal that had no place being around humans and domesticated pets. It is not only dangerous but also not fair to the wild animal itself. Many people think they are helping the abandoned raccoons by caring for them but they come to depend on humans and become pests and dangerous to the neighborhood and community.
I feel very blessed to have been able to have the experience to spend two days so close to a baby raccoon. I can truly see how one can be tempted to care for them and keep them as a pet. Not to mention, I had a blast taking pictures of her and she was a ham for the camera!
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| "No, more paparazzi, please" |
Wild animals should live in the wild as nature intended for everyone’s sake. If you do happen to stumble on a little wild animal that needs care, check your local listings for an organization that has experience with placing wild animals back into their environment. That would be a better choice for you, your neighborhood and the animal. Arrangements for Baby’s rehabilitation and return to a natural environment are under way. Let us help to keep wild animals away from our safe neighborhoods. Keep tight lids on your garbage cans, feed your domesticated animals indoors, and do not leave any food outside to attract wild animals to your yard. Think twice before you feed a wild animal. It will “bite the hand that feeds them.”
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