Go gentle into that good night....

The majority of the orphan raccoons have been released from the Refuge, so it is really quiet around here. All raccoons here are vaccinated against rabies and then they go through what is called a "soft release."
Their pen is kept open so they can come and go as they please. Bottle feeding has been stopped and human contact is limited. Food is put out at night but that's it. They gradually disappear into the wild and become wild raccoons.
But, it's been a very hot summer here in Virginia, so we still get visits on occasion. Sometimes we find them napping on top of their pens. Sometimes they climb on Evelyn's deck and peek into her sunroom!
We miss these awesome little coonies, but we know they will love being wild and free! Go gentle into that good night........

Elliott is free

After some soul searching, it was decided that it was time for Elliott, the gray fox kit, to be set free. Elliott had been here since May and we had been trying to find him a foster home with some other grays, but it was not to be. Elliott's interaction with humans was very limited, in the hopes that he would regain his instinctive fear of them. It appeared to be working: he actually growled at Evelyn!
Elliott had been vaccinated against rabies and had been in an outside enclosure for a while, when Evelyn noticed he had started pacing. It was time for him to be released. The door was opened, and he was give his freedom.
Goodbye, Elliott. We will miss you. All good things are wild, and free.

Prelude to Release

This is a short video of a group of baby raccoons that came to EWR from the Virginia Beach SPCA. They were brought there by a wildlife exterminator who had trapped the mother raccoon who was nesting in someones attic and then "relocated." her. The babies were discovered several days later. They have received rabies vaccinations. The door to their pen is now open during the day. This video was filmed on the first day they were allowed to explore the great outdoors which will soon become their permanent home.

Elliott, gray fox kit