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Raccoon rescued from engine compartment

Raccoon rescued from engine compartment

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

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.

Raccoon rescued from engine compartment
Dr. Bill Bystrom assisted with the raccoon rescue. – Wildlife Inc. | Submitted

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.

raccoon

Distemper in raccoons a threat

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Community News, Pets.

Longtime Island resident Pat Copeland had a scare from a raccoon recently.

“I went outside to check my Little Free Library, and when I turned to come back to the house, I saw a raccoon on the front porch,” she said. “It didn’t look healthy and I was concerned about it being sick.”

Then it ran to the back yard, and the Copelands found it by the swimming pool trying to drink. Pat Copeland’s husband, Anna Maria City Commissioner Doug Copeland, chased it out of the yard, but it returned shortly and they found it lying by the pool panting.

Pat Copeland, a former reporter for The Anna Maria Island Sun, was worried that the animal might have rabies.

“We called (Manatee County) Animal Services and nobody answered,” she said. “We called the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and a deputy arrived and told us to call Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation.”

They talked with Wildlife co-owner Ed Straight, who said they hadn’t had a rabies report in a while, but he said it might be distemper. He said there have been several raccoons with distemper.

Distemper is an airborne pathogen, which means it can be transmitted through the air, and Straight said he didn’t want to endanger the other animals at his Bradenton Beach facility.

Connor Bystrom, veterinarian at Island Animal Clinic, said animals with distemper show similar symptoms as ones with rabies.

“They might be foaming at the mouth or show no fear,” he said of the normally nocturnal animals. “If you see them out in the daytime, they might be nursing mothers.”

An Animal Services employee eventually called back that night, but by that time, the raccoon had left the Copeland’s yard and climbed up a neighbor’s tree. Copeland got a surprise when she found out the department would not respond unless the animal was caged.

Straight said the county department is normally busy, and employees don’t want to come out if the animal is not going to be there. He warned about setting traps because one would have to check on them regularly or face trouble with the law if an animal dies inside a trap.

Bystrom said dog and cat owners should take steps to protect their pets from rabies or distemper.

Make sure you keep their vaccinations up to date,” he said. “Rabies and distemper are part of the basic vaccinations we give animals.”

If you spot a sick animal, call Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation at 941-778-6324, Manatee County Animal Services at 941-742-5933 or the Sheriff’s Office.