A “Grab” Times Four
A number of years ago on a cold rainy day in April, I received a call from a Tallmadge dispatcher for the police and fire departments. The fire department was at the scene of an abandoned house fully engulfed in flames. When the firemen went into the house they could hear something crying and thought it was puppies or kittens.
The fireman who decided to open a cupboard and look inside was John Carney, and what he found in that cupboard were four baby raccoons. The babies were in bad shape from the smoke. One baby was tremendously smaller and younger than the other three. Possibly Mom stole a baby from another mother. John took the babies outside and administered some oxygen and saw to it that the babies were dry and warm.
When Ron, my husband, and I arrived, John had already stabilized the four babies. The smallest baby did not have as much hair on his body as the other three and suffered some second degree burns. Unfortunately, I was not able to save the smallest one; however, the other three did great.
We really do not give firemen enough thanks for what they do. They risk their lives every time they go into a fire. The lives of those four little raccoon babies were important to them. John told me when a fireman is able to rescue something from a fire, it is called a “grab.” This was John’s grab times four. Later, I tried to connect with John so that he could go on the raccoon’s release back into the wild but I was unable to reach him.
THANK YOU to all firemen and law enforcement for all that you do! – Fran Kitchen
IMPORTANT TO KNOW:
An Animal Can Carry Rabies and Never Show Signs of the Virus.
Today, if a county has had rabies or is a bordering county of one that has had rabies, they are NOT allowed to be raised. Summit County is one of those counties that raccoons may no longer be allowed to be raised.
Copyright 2017 Fran Kitchen
Operation Orphan Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization and does not receive federal funding. We are supported entirely through private donations, memberships, and proceeds from our education programs. To Donate visit our website at: www.operationorphanwildlife.com
