Editor’s Note: The Brown Pelican is part of the CROW CAW (Case A Week) series, which tells the stories of the patients at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island, the dangers they face, and how we can help protect all of our wildlife. Read previous cases here.
CROW recently admitted an infant Northern Raccoon into care (25-356). Our team suspects that this kit was orphaned, as she was observed to be alone for over 24 hours. Mother raccoons are very protective and feed infants up to 5 times a day, so it is unlikely that a kit of this age would have been unattended for such an extended period under normal circumstances.
Fortunately, repairs of CROW’s outdoor raccoon enclosure have just been completed. Due to the damage caused to our facility by Hurricane Ian, this will be the first Northern Raccoon that we have supported from rescue to release since 2022. Raccoons are intelligent, curious, and active, so an outdoor enclosure is required to rehabilitate them fully and ensure they have the skills they need to thrive in the wild. Prior to this, CROW has transferred any raccoon patients to other wildlife care facilities after providing initial care.
Since raccoons are highly social creatures, CROW contacted wildlife care partners to obtain conspecifics (members of the same species) of a similar age. Two other infant raccoons were brought into CROW’s care to be raised alongside the first kit. Once they are more developed and require less hands-on care, they will be moved to our outdoor mammal complex. Since enrichment and socialization are necessary for raccoons to learn natural behaviors, the rehabilitation team will get creative with raccoon enrichment, providing swimming pools, branches and structures for climbing, fresh foliage, sand pits, balls and toys, and even pumpkins stuffed with fish and food!
Raccoons are highly intelligent and adaptable and can thrive in close proximity to humans. Unfortunately, this puts them at risk of being harmed by vehicles, pets, and people who consider them pests. However, they are important contributors to ecosystem health. They eat carrion, spread plant seeds, and keep insect populations in check. Once they are ready, CROW intends to release these kits in a natural environment where they can thrive without human interference.
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