Oh, and in case you thought I was making my story up ...

Here's my 2001 raccoon in all its plastic jar wearing "glory". This had a happy ending, but it took six calls (local police, the DEC, my vet, the local DOH, and two wildlife rescue folks calls) to get assistance for this silly looking animal.

Many thanks to Tina, the former wildlife rescuer who was still listed with the DOH, for her help in freeing this raccoon six years ago.

Critter Assistance is Critter Assistance

For reasons detailed below, I couldn't help but be attracted to this story: Skunk freed from jar

I read the one comment from an irate reader saying that the police officer who chose to free this skunk whose head was trapped inside a glass container was being cruel with his chosen method. He opted to break the glass by shooting some BB pellets at the empty section of the bottle, breaking it and leaving the skunk alive, well, able to breathe and eat, and sporting a glass collar. The argument made by the dissatisfied reader was that the officer, chosing to maintain a safe distance, was potentially condemning the animal to having the glass collar embed itself in the skunk's neck should the animal gain weight and leaving it to a slow death by starvation. My reaction? Gimme a break!

My existence is constantly invaded by critters. Every year, I have an invasion of raccoons, opossums, and yes, even the occasional skunk into my house in the fall as they look to fatten up for the winter season. Yes, I said into my house. I have cat doors and if I forget to block them at night, I have unwelcomed company. I hold no ill will toward any of them and will only chase them back outside. Okay, the skunks (two on two separate occasions) got to finish their meal of strewn kitchen garbage unchallenged, but for the most part, yelling, floor stomping, and the occasional broom swish come into play.

My appreciation and understanding of creatures great and small now demonstrated, let me take you a step further. In 2001, I had a similar episode with a raccoon, only mine showed up on my porch with his head stuck in a plastic peanut butter jar. While apparently still able to breathe, although it had to be stuffy in that jar, the raccoon would have eventually died of starvation. After unsuccessfully trying to pull the jar off myself, I made six calls and was finally able to find someone willing to help. It was a former wildlife rescue person, sidelined by health issues, who came out and freed the animal by pouring mineral oil on the jar mouth and neck of the raccoon and giving one pull while the raccoon pulled in the opposite direction. Simple answer, happy ending. Thing is, it took six calls to get there.

Despite my semi-tolerance for wildlife in my home and my willingness to go the extra mile for them, even I consider them a nuisance. More importantly, I consider them a health risk. Rabies is a big concern; it is a vicious and almost always fatal disease to contract. Then, there's the simple and painful reality of the animal bite itself. If they feel threatened and cannot escape, animals will bite and I don't want to deal with the infection that the teeth from one of these garbage-loving animals would give me. Not a problem while the animal's head is stuck in a jar, but what happens after the jar gets pulled off? Finally, there is the skunk-specific issue of being sprayed that the above-mentioned reader felt was the officer's main concern. If you've ever been sprayed by a skunk or had a pet sprayed by one, it gives reason to maintain a respectful distance. I haven't and hope to maintain that lack of smelly thiol contact. Oh, in case you're curious, not an odor was left by the kitchen raiding skunk pair.

While the angry reader made a valid point about the welfare of the skunk, I do not and would not fault the officer for his choice. He gave the animal its freedom and a chance to continue, which is more than it would have had had it wandered off into the woods or if simply left alone. It's wonderful to think that a wildlife rescue person is going to be available to help, but the reality is that there isn't always one around. Most people would not care what happened to one stupid skunk who got just a little too greedy in his quest for food. This police officer cared enough to do something other than kill it outright. My guess it that folks will be watching for this skunk and that someone may make a point to capture it and odorlessly relieve it of the remnants of its food-seeking folly. The officer did something in the immediate to help without risking harm to himself or others. At the risk of a barrage of complaints for taking the side of the police on this issue, I say kudos. Dare to care without fouling the air.

See my next post for a picture of the peanut butter pursuing raccoon from September 2001.