Raccoon Family Transitional Release
Full grown raccoons (Procyon lotor)-Spanish name, “el mapache,” in and around your home, can be quite a nuisance. When, a mother decides to make your place, her place to deliver and raise her young, things can get really problematic. Holes in your roof, under your porch or in your shed, noises in your chimney, all can be indications that you have a mother raising her young in or around your home.
I had a recent call where a mother and three young raccoons were causing a lot of issues for a homeowner. After trapping them and determining that I had all the family members-a mother and her three youngsters, the job of preparing them for a transition back into the wild began.
My first step, after confirming with the homeowner that there were no more young observed around their home, was to move all the family members from their respective traps to a common transition cage. Bringing the family together in a safe environment, and reuniting the young with their mother, reduced the anxiety on all family members. Next, I did a physical inspection of each to ensure their fur was clean and normal in appearance, there was no observable injury, and no obvious disease or infections. Food and water were supplied. I was careful not to spend a lot of time around these animals as I prepared to transport them to a new home. One way I accomplished this was by retaining a healthy distance from these raccoons so that they were totally reliant on their wild instincts and were prepared to return to the wild and fend for themselves.
The proper handling, preparation for, and the ultimate transitional release of wild born animals trapped in response to a nuisance call, requires special knowledge that the general public does not have. The approach, for example, used for a mother raccoon and her young is similar, but different than the technique used for the transitional release of a single adult raccoon or other large mammal. In this case, I was careful in transporting all the animals to a location in the desert that provided support for the animals in surroundings, food, and habitat. I created a safe environment for this release, and included a rest factor which gave the mother time to investigate her new surroundings and make her own decision as to when she would leave the protection of my transition cage and encourage her young to follow. I did not rush this mother to leave the protection afforded her in the picture below. I allowed this raccoon family to spend time in the outdoor enclosure, become familiar with the smells, sights, sounds, and orientation of the area. Eventually, after an overnight, I left the door to the transition cage ajar so that the mother could come and go without restriction. This technique allows the mother raccoon to leave her young in what has become a “safe” environment for them, as she investigates the area and finds a new den.
I checked on my family each morning and, after a few days, this raccoon family felt comfortable enough in their new surroundings to have found a place of their own and moved on.
If you have raccoons that have moved into your living space and would like them trapped and removed in a similar humane fashion, please feel free to call 1st Response Wildlife. I would be happy to relocate a family of raccoons for you, transport an individual that has been injured or orphaned to a rehab location, or simply help you determine what your next steps could be to patch up points-of-entry or remove a food source that has made your home or business attractive for an individual or family of raccoons.
Thanks, Wildman Josh :)
Josh's Cell (24/7 Hours): 520-260-9517
Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and releases wildlife, removing animals including bobcats (lince), snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, squirrels (ardilla) , coatimundi (gato solo), exotics, and domestic cats and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast and he is available 24/7. Give him a call the next time you hear unusual noises in the attic or crawl spaces in your home or if you see wildlife eating your vegetation, creating nests, and raising their young too close to your pets or children. 520-260-9517 Thanks!
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