- Canada -
The Toronto Wildlife Centre wrote in a Facebook post of June 10: “We all know how hot asphalt or sand on a beach gets in the summer sun … imagine how scalding hot the bars of a metal cage can become?”
Well, in a metal cage a mama raccoon was found trapped on a downtown Toronto rooftop exposed to 30+ degree weather, with no shelter from the blazing sun, said the rescue.
According to TWC, the poor mama was left in direct sunlight for at least four hours resulting in her being very dehydrated, with the metal bars heating up underneath her small paws.
A member of the public thankfully saw the raccoon and posted a video on Facebook asking for help.
A TWC staff member, Glenda, saw the post and immediately called the rescue’s Hotline as well as 911.
Glenda was able to rush the mama raccoon to TWC where another member of staff, Louise, worked to cool the mama down.
As you can imagine, the raccoon was overheated and understandably terrified.
She was placed in a kennel with a frozen towel and frozen water bottle for relief, and then “she was given Pedialyte, which she drank from a bowl immediately!” said the rescue.
Louise noticed the raccoon was lactating, meaning her babies were somewhere back at the property where she was found, “and they needed their mother to survive”, explained TWC.
Toronto Wildlife Centre also wrote in the Facebook post that “The suffering of this mother and her babies was caused by an inhumane pest control / wildlife removal company that we’re unable to name due to liability reasons – the business is being investigated for animal cruelty as a result of their negligence. “
Unfortunately, as TWC advised, the unnamed company is not cooperating, and at this point it’s unknown what happened to the baby orphans.
Furthermore, the company has admitted that last year, in a similar situation, babies were taken away and killed, said TWC.
Toronto Wildlife Centre is appealing to the public to be careful when it comes to unwelcomed wild visitors.
Unfortunately, there are unlicensed companies who resort to inhumane methods to capture wild animals uncaring of whether or not there are mothers or babies around.
Please, do your homework and make sure you always choose a reputable company whose techniques are safe for the animals and always in their best interest.
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Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
Choosing a Raccoon Removal Company by Toronto Wildlife Centre
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