Don't Let the Door Hit You on Your Way Out
Difficult as it may be to believe, my favorite thing about raccoon foster care is not picking up a steaming pile at 6:30 in the morning. No, my favorite thing is releasing them into the wild! It was time for 4 lucky contestants to venture out into the world last Friday. Scheduling was an issue, so Steve took them out alone. I wasn't able to go on this one, which was a bummer, but Steve got some good pictures to share.
As much as they fight getting put into them, newly-released raccoons are hesitant to leave the kennels once they are faced with the big, wide world. There are usually several minutes spent watching them explore the area right around the kennel, often running back into them if anything startles them.
Eventually, though, they warm to the concept and it isn't long before they head off and disappear into the underbrush.
Although I couldn't go on this one, there are at least 4 more groups that will still be released this year. Hopefully, I'll be able to go out on another release in a few weeks.