Ellie joins the family!

Yesterday was a happy day on the heels of another tragedy in our furry family. A few weeks ago while checking on her release site, Laurie came across a coonie hit in the road. Like last year when we found Growler hit, it was the worst case scenario.....her baby Rocco. He's at peace now and like with Growler, it makes me feel a little better about it when I think he at least had the joy of being free and playing like crazy out there for a while!

So back to the release site to check on the rest of her gang and Laurie discovers Ellie holed up injured in a hammock in the release pen. The whole gang was kind of beat up a little, but Ellie pretty much got the crap beat out of her like Willie! So in she came to get her wounds treated. A clawed up face, (but nothing vital hit), a hamburger foot like Willie's and a tail with wounds and broken in 2 places! Luckily her foot wounds were better able to be fixed....they were able to be stitched up and closed for the most part. The pics are amazing and I'll post them as soon as I fish them out of my emails later.

Because of the tail, she will be staying the winter as well. We have to make sure the tail will heal properly so she can move it and so an infection does not go up the tail into the spine...... otherwise an amputation is in her future. Either scenario, it will take time to heal to know so.....now that she is feeling much better it was time to reunite her with her siblings that were kept behind and the rest of my crew.

I have to say what a wonderful crew these guys are! Her siblings of course had no problem welcoming her back and my gang was equally as welcoming! Maybe a little too welcoming since they all ran over to her at once overwhelming her a little! LOL But one little huff from her and they all backed off....I guess we know who's boss and everyone is already settled in like one big happy family again!

Hey...who's the new kid!

Ellie settles right in...checking out her new diggs....

The worst of her foot...a little wound on top and in between her toes.

Yes...definitely feeling comfortable....

JoAnn came by as well to spoil the crap out of her squirrels that are staying here for the winter. Yup...all those bags for 3 little squirrels! LOL She spoils her squirrels as bad as Laurie and I spoil our coonies obviously!

Now that the big indoor/outdoor pen is no longer being used by the last batch we released, we moved her 3 from the smaller outdoor pen into it and they are all settled in for the winter also.
A full house here...and soon to grow.We'll be bringing 6 possie's to join the zoo. The empty coon pen is bigger than what they are in now so they will be better off there for the winter. Who wanted a winter off anyway! LOL

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Turkey Day to all from me and the fuzzballs!

I can tell you that Willie is thankful that his eye has finally healed enough to open again! It may be too scarred to fully open up again (the tissue around the eye, not the eyeball itself), but it's good enough to see out of and that's the important part! His foot is also healing well. One toe is stuck at a weird angle...kinda like he's giving us the finger with his back foot...but again it doesn't interfere with the function of his foot so he should be good to go by spring!

The rest of the gang came out to pick out a thanksgiving treat....their choice of holiday nuts, oh what fun....a toy and a treat all in one!

Peanut was too cute....he stuffed a couple in his mouth then grabbed what he could with his hands and waddled off on 2 legs to find a private place to enjoy his stash!

A weekend in NY and Baloo's group!

Myself, Mary, Laurie and Lisa all went to Lake George NY this past weekend for the NY wildlife conference. I was in a bit of a fog getting over a nasty cough and cold...but we had fun going to some seminars and catching up with old friends.....and even more fun doing some shopping!!

Back to the real world.....I grabbed the coon cam that has been set up at the Framingham release site. I am so glad I had it out there! All this time since the release and I only had that one run in with Baloo, RJ and Scootch a while back and have yet to have to refill the feeder. The first time the camera was out there showed only a possie and 2 other coons eating from it.

Well this time I actually had to fill the feeder. Our possie friend is a regular visitor every night even grudgingly sharing space at the feeder....with a little warning if one gets too close! Cooniebear the tailless coon and his friend are regulars as well. There was also a nice big buck who stopped and perhaps debated??

And then best of all!!! The whole gang shows up!! Baloo, Rosie, Scootch, RJ, Einstein and Flipper all at once! It appears they are sticking together out there too! I don't know what kept them away from the feeder before....maybe avoiding the other coonies while they get used to the area....but they are back and have appeared every night since on the camera which explains the bucket finally emptying all of a sudden! All I know is I am thrilled to death to know they are doing ok out there....I was a little worried after what happened to Willie.

Friends and furry sightings.

Last night was a great night! Had a wonderful visit and home cooked meal at Celine's. It was awesome to say the least....thanks so much Celine!!!!

I was on my way home when I decided at the last minute to check out the first release site....it wasn't far and it was a nice warm night. I have been various times looking for the gang with no luck since that first day, but not this late yet (around 11pm). Boy am I sooooo glad I did! Within minutes of filling the feeder and calling to the crew came the unmistakable sound of approaching critters! Diesel and Dozer wasted no time....it was like I had never been gone! Right over to me, both of them climbing up and into my arms. Cookies and lovin' thoroughly enjoyed! I couldn't get them out of my arms. A third came in, chattering away but not coming close. After some time watching the other 2 carry on like babies with me he decided to check it out a little closer. It was Razz! He was hesitant to approach, but nothing an iced oatmeal cookie couldn't change! LOL He was soon climbing all over me like the other 2. Then a fourth started over....Kodiak! He wasted much less time than Razz and once he was sure it was me, it was one big coonie pile on mom!

Oh it was so great to see them...and they look amazing! Big, strong, strapping young boys with beautiful coats and getting very big!

The ride home was spent dodging furry things in the road..it was crazy.

At one point I come across a coonie by the roadside...he moved back onto the sidewalk as my car approached and remained there as I drove by. It bothered me that it didn't just run back into the woods, something was up so I felt compelled to go back and check it out. Other cars had passed by and I was worried about it getting hit. As I get back to the area I had seen it, sure enough there it is lingering on the sidewalk...like it definitely wanted to cross but kept getting interrupted by cars going by maybe. (At least is seemed street smart). I passed and further up turned around again....waiting a couple minutes to give it time to cross without scaring it back to the side. I decide if it's still there I have to check it out and make sure it is ok. As I once again approach the area I see the glow of it's eyes on the sidewalk....then I suddenly see another glowing pair right in the middle of the road. What the heck! As soon as the one in the middle of the road sees me, it snatches up the smooshed squirrel that has been in the road for days now, dragging it back to the sidewalk and both turn and run back into the woods with the cherished prize!

What a riot. I could just picture them talking....Dude, I dare ya to go get that squirrel in the road.......Oh crap! Quick, here comes another car....Grab it, hurry up, lets go, come on!....I Got it, quick lets get outta here!....That was close, I thought you were a goner there for a minute!

Satisfied all is well, I head out again towards home. I come across an animal hit in the road....looks like a cat. Soooooooo I pull over to check it out. It's a gray fox. I check and the poor thing is dead (not long past) so all I can do is move it to the side out of the road so it doesn't get smooshed. What a shame....aside from being dead, it was a beautiful, healthy animal.

I head out again and a few yards down I come across something else in the road. This time it's a cat just sitting there. (Looked like Boots Celine!) I'm waiting for it to run out of the road as I roll up to it but it seemed clueless! WTF! It wasn't till I rolled to a stop about a car length away from it and revved the engine ....... Helllllloooooooooo!........ that if finally noticed me and was like....OH crap! and darted out of the road.

I pretty much drove the rest of the way home going 2mph afraid of what I would come across next! I was glad to get home!

The raccoon party bus!

How awesome is this?

A photo of raccoons lining up for a bus on the MUNI #18 46 Ave line at the California Place of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco-by Plomo Media. So this is what raccoon rush hour looks like......LOL. I love it!!

photo by Plomo media

http://www.flickr.com/people/swthomson/

Willie update

Willie is doing great in the big pen with all the babies. His back is pretty much healed and it looks like the eye may not be far behind. The swelling is finally down enough to the point where it looks like the eye is starting to crack open again! The foot still looks like hamburger but it is healing. One toe is crooked up a little. It was probably broken and that's the way it's going to heal...but he's using it fine! The foot looks a little gooey-er than usual here because I took the picture after putting some granulex liquid on it to help the healing process.

I totally forgot to mention I ran into Tosser on Oct. 29th! I haven't seen him in a while, then one night just before dark I'm filling one of the feeders and he appeared. Scared the crap out of me too I might add! I'm standing on a chair checking the feeder. Then I turn to scoop some food out of the bucket and when I turn back to put it in the feeder....there he was sitting there next to the feeder! Surprise! It's a miracle I didn't fall backwards off the chair when I startled! Never even heard him and suddenly there he was at eye level no more than a foot away! LOL He looks great and healthy, and like Mo he's a little more shy now. Not as skittish as Mo...he sat comfortably right next to me while I was there but he wouldn't take treats out of my hand...I had to put them down first, and he would sniff my fingers but would start to move away if I made any attempt to pet him. He's not a mamma's boy anymore, but that's ok....I'm just thrilled to be able to share a moment with him and see he's doing well! Not bad for a raccoon thrown out of a car window and left to die on the sidewalk! Yet another moment that reminds me why I do this! (sigh...warm fuzzy moment!)

Snacking on chicken wings.

Here we have some pics of the gang enjoying their chicken wings!

LOL! Just kidding......well sort of! When I enter that pen with chicken wings this is exactly what it's like! I have to protect my fingers and limbs big time...they turn from Muppet's into Tasmanian devils instantly!

While on the topic....here's a little info from National Geographic on Taz, now on the endangered list due to a contagious cancer spreading like wildfire among the few that are left!

Once abundant throughout Australia Tasmanian devils are now indigenous only to the island state of Tasmania. Their Tasmanian range encompasses the entire island, although they are partial to coastal scrublands and forests. Biologists speculate that their extinction on the mainland is attributable to the introduction of Asian dogs, or dingoes.
Efforts in the late 1800s to eradicate Tasmanian devils, which farmers erroneously believed were killing livestock (although they were known to take poultry), were nearly successful. In 1941, the government made devils a protected species, and their numbers have grown steadily since.

Survival Threatened
Tragically, though, a catastrophic illness discovered in the mid-1990s has killed tens of thousands of Tasmanian devils. Called devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), this rapidly spreading condition is a rare contagious cancer that causes large lumps to form around the animal's mouth and head, making it hard for it to eat. The animal eventually starves to death. Animal health experts are sequestering populations where the disease has not yet appeared and are focusing on captive breeding programs to save the species from extinction. Because of the outbreak, the Australian government has listed Tasmanian devils as vulnerable.

You can read their full article here:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/tasmanian-devil.html

It's Willy....and he joins the group.

OK....I'm finally sure who I have here....Willie it is, and he and River were finally introduced into the main group again as I pray everyone will get along!

I worried needlessly! As you can see he fit right in!

...and he's VERY happy to be part of the group...especially chummy with Gonzo his new best bud!

River next to one of the Muppets....Gonzo again I think. Wow, what a size difference! But River is getting bigger than I think she should be. I know this is the time of year for them to pack it on and all, but I think she is getting un- proportionately large compared to what she is getting to eat. Laurie and I are going to draw some blood and check her thyroid and see if she is hypothyroid.

So it's one big happy family of 11! Hopefully it stays that way!!