Well...I've never done that, but I really need to get this off my chest.
So today my friend and I went walking around a lake surrounded by a forest. We were almost done when I looked down to the water and saw a baby raccoon lying on its side, right on the edge of the water. I thought it was dead but when I moved closer I saw it was breathing and weakly holding on to a rock. I didn't know what to do or if it had a wound on the other side of its body so I grabbed a handful of huge-ass leaves and slowly pulled him out of there. Poor thing seemed unharmed but very weak so I decided to bring it with me.
Now I know you're usually not supposed to move wounded animals because they usually can "take care of themselves", but let's be honest. Many people walk this trail so the chances that its mother came back soon was very small. Also it was a baby and barely moving. I'm like 100% certain it would have died alone in the water like a piece of trash if I had just let it there.
So on our way back to the car I found this thing that people change their baby's diaper on. I put it on it and carry it to my friend's car. Then we went to the vet and they told us to go to SPCA (our Humane Society). So on our way there I check if it's still breathing. It is! It's so weak though. Sometimes the raccoon moved a bit and made little raccoon noises. I was gently petting its head, trying to reassure it or something. It was heart breaking to watch such a poor little creature. But at least it was not lying alone in cold water anymore.
So we reach the SPCA and when I get there they take it in and make me sign some paper that says I'm the person who brought it in. Then a girl (some kind of vet) puts gloves on and leaves with it. I could hear it make his raccoon noises while they left. Then the guy at the desk said we could go. So I asked what they're going to do with it. I mean, it didn't seem to have wounds, it was just weak. And the guy said they would euthanize it.
WHAT? It's not necessarly dying wth?? But what could I do? The girl had left with the raccoon...and they killed it...
I can't stop thinking that if someone had took time to examine it, maybe they'd realize it just need to be bottle fed and such and probably released later. Why kill it? It's was just a baby. I feel like I rescued it for nothing. And it's breaking my heart to think this poor thing is dead. At least it didn't suffered more, right?
There's this thing called Hope for Wildlife in another Canadian province and I know they rescue wild animals and it just sucks that there's not such a thing here because otherwise I would /never/ have brought it to the SPCA. Because it's a raccoon it doesn't mean it has to be killed if it's wounded...
Two pics of it under here.
i60.tinypic.com/348j6t3.pngi58.tinypic.com/ir6eys.jpgI get teary eyes everytime I look at them...
There's not really a point to this journal, I'm just so sad for the raccoon, because I saw it and held it...