The wild can be a harsh place for animals who get sick or injured.
When they get in trouble, wild animals often have nowhere to turn and no way to ask for help. Their survival depends on instinct and luck. Most often, it depends on the kindness of a stranger who happens to be in the right place at the right time.
One frightened little animal had reached that breaking point. She wandered alone through a neighborhood, hoping to find help. Since she was weak and exhausted, she curled up there and waited. She wasn’t sure if anyone would notice her at all.
An Unexpected Discovery In The Yard
When Erin Gudeman and her family pulled into the driveway after a busy day at Detroit’s Outdoor Adventure Center, they noticed something odd in their yard.
It looked like a strange rock sitting in the grass. It was rising and falling as if it were breathing.
“Even my mother thought it might be a muddy scrap of carpet someone had discarded. But something about it didn’t seem right,” Gudeman told The Dodo.
The family watched from the window. They weren’t sure what they were looking at.
Then, the mysterious figure lifted its head and revealed its identity.
Gudeman and her family were shocked to realize that the figure was actually an exhausted raccoon. Her body was covered in mange.
She limped past the porch and curled up behind an inflatable Christmas dinosaur. She hoped the small corner would offer some comfort.
“That was the moment we knew this wasn’t just an odd sight in the yard,” Gudeman said. “This was an animal in trouble.”
A Swift Response Saves The Raccoon
Gudeman reached out to a Michigan wildlife Facebook group for help.
She was worried about the raccoon because the storm was about to start.
“Worried about him with the snow coming,” she wrote, knowing that more than a foot of snow was expected that night.
Her message reached Theresa Carroll, a wildlife rehabilitator at Halfway Home Wildlife Rehab. Shortly afterward, a volunteer showed up at Gudeman’s home. She collected the raccoon, and drove her straight to safety.
When Carroll saw the raccoon up close, she knew the little survivor was in desperate need of help. She was almost hairless and painfully itchy due to mange.
“What she has is very typical,” Carroll said. “I felt bad for her because she’s got something going on with her left eye and her left paw, as well. And being smaller, you know, odds are stacked against them even more so.”
The raccoon’s skinny body and bare skin meant she had no protection from the freezing air.
It’s possible that she would not have made it through the night.
A Fighting Spirit And A Long Road Ahead
Knowing that mange often leaves animals severely dehydrated, Carroll immediately gave the raccoon fluids.
She prepared a high-carb diet to help her regain strength. Although the raccoon was in bad shape, she showed spirit.
“For only being about seven or eight pounds, she’s a spicy little thing,” Carroll said.
The raccoon even managed to avoid her medication, refusing to be fooled by the banana treats Carroll offered.
Healing will take time. Mange usually requires several weeks of treatment, and her fur will need months to grow back.
Carroll expects to care for her for about three months before she is ready for release.
Gudeman is grateful for how quickly everyone came together for the little raccoon.
“Watching so many people come together so quickly for a vulnerable animal was nothing short of inspiring,” she said.
Thanks to that kindness, the raccoon, now lovingly nicknamed Snickerdoodle, finally has a chance to recover and feel safe again.