I have been rescuing animals all my life. My rescues have ranged from un-tangeling pelicans from fishing line to re-locating the endangered gopher tortoises from construction sites.

One afternoon I received a call about a nest of baby raccoons that needed to be rescued from an attic. The mother had been trapped, and relocated days before forcing her to leave behind her babies. The homeowner did not realize the nest existed  until he heard their cries days later.

So I gathered up everything I would need for the rescue, and headed out the door. When I got there the homeowner asked me if I had ever walked in an attic. I said of course, even though I never have. He warned me to stay on the rafters. I said no problem. When I got up there it was hot and dark. My little flashlight barely provided any light. To make the matter worse there was all this snowy stuff, so I could not really see the rafters. I was just kind of shuffling around. I felt the floor starting to give, but kept searching for the nest. All of the sudden I fell through the attic landing on the homeowners backyard patio! All of my stuff falling with me.....the empty cage, the flashlight, and my glove. I was inches away from a chair with iron spikes on the top! Strangely, I felt fine, no broken bones. However, my head did hit the concrete and I was bleeding pretty bad. (No pain though.) I was more embarrassed than anything. I had to walk around to the front of the home to tell the homeowner that I just crashed through his ceiling! He was horrified that I could be hurt. I explained to him that I was fine, and I insisted on going back up in the attic. He reluctantly allowed me to go. This time I had a better idea of where the nest was located, and I was able to get the baby raccoons within minutes. While up there the cut on my head continued to bleed, and I was a real mess when I  finally got out.  However, I had 4 of the cutest little baby raccoons ever! They all survived rehabilitation, and were brought to the same location their mother was taken. I so hoped that they somehow re-united. I ended up with 14 staples in my scull. The Doctor said it was the worse head wound he has ever seen where a person didn't loose conscious. It was certainly a lucky day for those baby raccoons, and for me!          

 

 

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Will You Help Rescue Others? You'll LOVE Our Work! Before: scheduled for euthanasia at the pound. After: His new family has a huge backyard!