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| July 5th was a
lovely summer's day. The sky was clear, the
birds were singing and all seemed right in the
world. Annie's mother decided it was just the
kind of day to take her little family out foraging.
As raccoons do, they all followed behind her,
single file, glad to be off on this new adventure.
Annie tucked her little nose in behind her brother's
tail and followed dutifully along. She felt
the grass tickle at her fur, enjoyed the warm
earth beneath her tactile toes, and raised her
nose to catch any scents that might be wafting
on the summer breeze. "Life", she
thought, "is wonderful." Nothing could
have prepared her for what was to come. For
suddenly, her mother was screaming. The sky
seemed dark, the earth shook and blood was everywhere.
Annie froze in shock and disbelief. For what
seemed an eternity, she could not move. When
instinct finally did kick in, it cried "Quick!
Quick! Hide! Get Away!" Away from the fearful
cries of her mother and her siblings. Away from
the man with the hoe! |
| As fast as her
small legs could manage, she dodged and scurried.
She found a dense bush and squeezed inside.
Totally traumatized, she lay there trying to
block out what she had seen; unable to grasp
that her family was gone. All she knew was that
she was only eight weeks old and she was very,
very afraid. She lay there a long time. The man was gone.
The hoe was gone. Still, she could not move.
How long she would have lain there before her
courage returned is unknown. Now, another man
had come. This man did not have a hoe. Instead,
he picked her up and gently placed her inside
a box. She did not know it then but she was
on her way to Critter Care. Her future, she
felt, was still unsure and her panicked heart
was not consoled.
Fortunately for Annie, Mr. McGregor was indeed
a kind man. He has seen his neighbour with the
hoe but, because he could not believe what he
was seeing, he had not been quick to intervene
in time to save the rest of Annie's family.
But he had found little Annie and he brought
her to a safe haven at Critter Care. Staff was
very distressed to hear her story and Annie
was quickly tucked away in a warm, quiet place
for the night. |
| When Gail Martin
learned the story the following day, she was
so angry and upset, she was determined that
something had to be done. It did not take long
for her to find out the name of the man with
the hoe, to phone him, and to demand how, in
good conscience, he could do such a thing. His
belligerent response was that "he was within
his rights. He would kill anything that came
on his property!" Not one to leave it at
that, Gail immediately phoned both the SPCA
and the RCMP insisting that the man be charged.
However, the SPCA later advised that, after
a brief investigation, the RCMP was not prepared
to do anything about it. "After all, the
man was 80 years old." As if that justified
what he had done! |
| In the meantime,
little Annie was not doing well. She couldn't
or wouldn't eat. She was still badly traumatized.
She was simply afraid of everything. Eventually,
staff had to resort to force-feeding her. Fortunately,
the good fairy of woodland creatures still smiled
on Annie. Two more orphaned raccoons had arrived.
Just a couple of weeks younger, they were placed
in Annie's enclosure to keep her company. These
young kits were just what the doctor ordered.
Annie forgot about herself and took them under
her wing, almost becoming their surrogate mother.
Her own fears began to ease. She started to
eat on her own and to trust the world around
her. She still doesn't trust people, but her
health improves daily. She continues to mother
the little ones in her charge. In the spring,
Annie and her surrogate family will be released
to a safer neighbourhood. After all that she
has been through, Annie deserves a second chance
to live the full life that nature intended.
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If
it weren't for Critter Care Wildlife Society,
Annie and all critters like her would never
stand a chance at life.
Can you help us continue our work? Donations
can be sent to Critter Care Wildlife Society,
481 216th Street Langley, B.C. V2Z 1R5.Mavis Sutton, President
Critter Care Wildlife Society
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Copyright - 2006 - 2007
Critter Care Wildlife Society British Columbia
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