Depending on where you live, you might get the chance to cross paths with all sorts of wild critters. In some instances, you don’t even have to leave your home to spot this suburban wildlife - it comes straight to you.
One netizen’s heart almost broke when she spotted a lost, helpless, and hypothermic baby raccoon sheltering right on her doorstep after a night of heavy rain. The homeowner sprang into action, swiftly kicking off the cute creature’s journey to recovery.
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The helpless baby raccoon was found wet and seemingly waiting for help on the homeowner’s doorstep
Image credits: Belchertown Animal Control / Facebook
The homeowner who found it said their heart broke the moment they spotted the shivering little kit
Nothing could have prepared a Belchertown, Massachusetts, homeowner for the soaking wet surprise they woke up to a few days ago. When they opened their front door, they came face-to-face with a shivering baby raccoon that looked scared, lost, and more than a little confused.
Admitting their heart broke when they spotted the little critter, they wasted no time getting on the phone to Belchertown Animal Control. Says officer Sarah Byrnes, “The little baby was cold and wet from the rainstorm we had the night before. He was drenched and looked so scared. He was definitely too young to be on his own.”
Image credits: Belchertown Animal Control / Facebook
They immediately got on the phone to Belchertown Animal Control, and help was soon on the way
After wrapping up the shivering kit in a towel and putting him in a crate, Byrnes spent some time trying to locate his mother, but didn’t have any luck. “I called the Leyden Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation for advice,” Byrnes said. “Founder Amelie Dricut-Ziter advised me to bring the baby to her.”
Luckily, the little rescue raccoon appeared to be in good condition, despite being lost, wet and hypothermic. He’s currently in quarantine, where Dricut-Ziter continues to keep an eye on his health. “He’s doing fine,” she says. “He’s eating, drinking and being a raccoon.”
Image credits: Leyden Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation / TheDodo.com
Figured to be just over 2 months old, the recovering kit is still too young and helpless to fend for himself in the wilderness, so Dricut-Ziter said she plans to care for him until he's able to be released.
Image credits: Leyden Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation / Facebook
The animal control officer looked around for the raccoon’s mother, but she was nowhere to be found
Once he’s out of quarantine and back to his full strength, the baby raccoon, who has since been dubbed Bub, will join the almost two dozen other baby raccoons being cared for at the Leyden Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation before their ultimate release back into the wild.
Image credits: Leyden Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation / Facebook
We’d say Bub’s story had a heartwarming ending, wouldn’t you? Bored Panda reached out to Amelie Dricut-Ziter, founder and president at the Leyden Center, to ask her what you should do if you come across an orphaned raccoon. She had this to say, “If the animal is not in immediate danger, call a wildlife rehabilitator to evaluate the situation before touching the animal.”
Dricut-Ziter went on to add, “If the rehabber takes some time to get back to you, using gloves and towel, pick up the animal if safe to do so and place it in a box with an added heat source. Do not feed or touch.”
According to Dricut-Ziter, just because an animal does not look sick, it does not mean it isn’t. She recommends always using proper PPE, since rabies is fatal and if you get a bite or scratch, the animal will likely need to be euthanized to be tested.
So, folks, no matter how adorable the kit on your doorstep may be, obviously get cute pics, but also take proper precautions to make sure they have a happy rescue just like Bub did!
The lucky little critter, now called Bub, will join other baby raccoons being cared for before they’re released back into the wild
