Yesterday was a big day for our raccoon friends living above our kitchen! Bandette and her family have officially been relocated to a newer, happier, and not-in-our-home home. Where they’ve gone exactly we don’t know — she didn’t leave a forwarding address — but I imagine it’s a wonderful place. Also, I imagine that it’s got running water and digital cable. She always wanted digital cable. No more recording over old VHS tapes.
The rescue was interesting. Our landlord cut a hole into the wall above our kitchen sink. After removing the piece of drywall, we could see two babies sitting right there on the insulation. Not the best place to raise children. The mother had been startled by the noise and left the nest, and the man from Critter Rescue took the two babies out and put them in a small bucket which he left in the back yard. Bandette emerged from her little entryway in the roof and went down to fetch her kids right away. She took one and ran off to find a safe new place.
As they were boarding up the entryway, we heard some chattering from inside the hole. A third baby! Bandette had apparently been trying to move her litter when she was startled but didn’t get very far. Another hole was cut into the ceiling and the last baby was pulled out. When the mother returned to the bucket, she found that she couldn’t carry them both at the same time, but she sure tried. For nearly ten minutes she ran between the two just trying to keep them quiet and close. In the end she made two quick trips, and that was that.
It was sad to see their comfort disturbed. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be living in such a cramped area when naturally raccoons live… well, not in the insulated wall of a house. I’m sure that yesterday was a stressful day for them, but it’s for the best. And in a few months when they come back for tea and biscuits, I’m sure we’ll all just laugh about the whole thing.
