The Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is raising awareness about what to do if you encounter raccoons this season, particularly babies and their moms.
Spring is here, and that means the forests, waterways, fields, and possibly our homes and cottages will be hosting young wildlife.
The species that Aspen Valley gets the most calls about this time of year is the raccoon.
In a single season, the sanctuary can take in as many as 200 raccoon babies (kits).
Unfortunately, some kits are orphaned due to homeowners trapping and removing nursing moms and not realizing that they had babies. This creates an even bigger problem. Encouraging raccoons to move on their own is a much more humane way of handling these unwanted houseguests.
What to Do?
First of all, the sanctuary says it’s good to know that raccoons have more than one den in their territories and have other places they can take their babies. You simply need to give them a chance. Mom raccoons love dark, quiet spots to raise their kits. So, if you’d like them to wrap up their stay, you’ll want to make their den the complete opposite to encourage mom and babies to move elsewhere. It usually takes a combination of the following:
- a “talk” radio station on at all times (no music)
- a non-flammable light source
- the introduction of uncomfortable smells, such as apple cider vinegar, which you can soak on rags and put in a plastic bag with holes
Ideally, if you are able to give the mom raccoon time, her babies will be climbing and following her out of the den at around 8-10 weeks of age.
Do not repair the entrance they are using until you are sure that they are all outside. Doing so will result in considerable damage from the mother trying to get in and/or a slow, inhumane death for her young.
For additional information, contact Aspen Valley’s animal care line at 705-644-4122 or visit www.aspenvalley.ca where you’ll find tips, including how to handle anything from deer in your garden, to a bear in your backyard, or beavers in the boathouse.
