BRADENTON BEACH – Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center Inc. and local veterinarian Dr. Bill Bystrom helped rescue a raccoon that became trapped in an automobile’s engine compartment.
According to a press release issued by Wildlife Inc., a call came into the Bradenton Beach-based agency on the morning of Thursday, Jan. 13. The caller said there was a raccoon on the third floor of the BridgeWalk Resort in Bradenton Beach. A Wildlife Inc. volunteer arrived at the resort within minutes and determined it was a fully grown raccoon weighing at least 25 pounds. The raccoon appeared to have a limp but otherwise seemed healthy.
As the rescue attempt ensued, the raccoon squeezed between a crate and the wall through a narrow gap in the stairway rail. According to the press release, the raccoon scurried down the stairs to the ground floor confused, scared and potentially injured. The resort staff was concerned for the safety of its guests and attempted to help corral the raccoon. After making it to the ground floor, the raccoon darted under some parked cars. The resort staff and the Wildlife Inc. volunteer went car to car in an attempt to capture and cage the frightened animal. Those efforts proved unsuccessful and the crafty raccoon found what it thought to be an escape route. The raccoon wrangled its way up into the engine area of a 2013 Nissan Sentra.
Raquel Rangel, Celeste Maldonado and Misha Maldonado were among those who attempted to find the car’s owner. Once located, the car owners expressed genuine concern for the safety of the raccoon, as well as for other motorists. The car owners were concerned about driving to their home an hour north with the raccoon still trapped under the hood of the vehicle. They were also concerned the raccoon might escape in the middle of an intersection or roadway and cause harm to itself and possibly cause an accident.
After several hours of trying to coax the raccoon out of its hiding place using humane means, which included starting the car and gently moving it, using a hose to squirt the raccoon with water and turning on the car alarm to hopefully trigger a flee response, the raccoon was still stuck in the engine compartment and had no way to go forward or turn around and leave the way it came.
According to the press release, Wildlife Inc. President Gail Straight contacted Dr. Bill Bystrom at Island Animal Clinic for help. Upon arrival, Dr. Bystrom administered a small sedative to the raccoon to help it relax. This allowed Straight to safely remove the raccoon from the engine compartment. After being safely removed, the raccoon was taken to the Wildlife Inc. facility for a thorough examination and any needed rehabilitation.
“Wildlife Inc. would like to personally thank the Bridge Street Hotel, its staff, the owner of the Nissan Sentra, Raquel Rangel and Dr. Bill Bystrom of Island Animal Clinic for all their help and understanding in the safe rescuing of this raccoon,” the press release notes.
An email received from Wildlife Inc. on Sunday stated the raccoon was not injured, is doing fine and would soon be released in a suitable natural setting in east Manatee County.
