Earlier this month, a man named Zak was hauling his garbage can to the curb when he noticed something strange scuffling inside. Zak quickly opened the garbage lid and was shocked to find a worried wild animal huddled on top of the trash.
Marley’s Castle Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
“It made me jump when I opened the bin,” Zak told Marley’s Castle Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation. “Though she didn’t seem to flinch at all in her new trash burrow.”
The wayward animal was a raccoon who was suffering from mange. Little did Zak know at first, but this raccoon wasn’t alone. The anxious animal was guarding someone nestled deep under the trash — her baby.
Marley’s Castle Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
Worried for the little family, Zak contacted experts at Marley’s Castle. Soon, wildlife rehabilitator Mallory Yaldo was at the scene. Yaldo felt so relieved that Zak had done the right thing.
“I felt incredibly grateful to Zak for his kindness, compassion and empathy,” Yaldo told The Dodo. “Because of him, I was lucky enough to be able to help mom and her newborn.”
Yaldo carefully removed the mother and baby from the trash can. Though the mother raccoon was understandably standoffish, she ultimately allowed Yaldo to move the pair into a carrier.
“[O]n some level, I truly believe she recognized that we were there to help,” Yaldo said.
Marley’s Castle Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
Safe at Marley’s Castle, this mama and baby have slowly begun to heal. Both are suffering from a skin condition called sarcoptic mange and require veterinary treatment. In time, the family will be ready to return to their home in the wild.
“We hope to release them together in the next [four to six] weeks, as mom becomes healthier and [baby] grows to an age where he can start following mom around to learn wild skills from her,” Yaldo said.
Marley’s Castle Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
For now, though, this mother and baby are enjoying some needed R&R, snuggling in soft blankets and feeling a bit better every day.
