I swerve for raccoons (and pigeons and squirrels)

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7828964.post-39855258989761803612008-02-10T14:06:00.000-06:002008-02-10T17:55:43.793-06:00I swerve for raccoons (and pigeons and squirrels)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://dnr.state.il.us/orc/wildlife/virtual_news/images/raccoon/raccoon_on_snow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://dnr.state.il.us/orc/wildlife/virtual_news/images/raccoon/raccoon_on_snow.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Last month, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-racoon_tasting_18jan18,0,470370.story">Monica Eng</a>, a food writer at the Chicago Tribune, generated some controversy by an article on raccoon consumption. The raccoon was prepared by <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/03/technology/circuits/03chef.html?pagewanted=1">Homaru Cantu of Moto</a> and plated like road kill. There was a <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-raccoon_18_jan18,0,7051357.story">follow up story on the hunting and selling of raccoon </a>in Illinois. Even <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-kass_24jan24,0,7389179.column">columnist John Kass</a> got into the act with a tongue-in-cheek article on roasted giraffe after one of <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-deadgiraffe_both_20jan20,0,5140846.story">Brookfield Zoo's male giraffes broke his neck</a> in a bizarre accident. Tuesday evening, I saw a raccoon with a broken leg crossing <a href="http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=N%20Western%20Ave%20%26%20W%20Wilson%20Ave&city=Chicago&state=IL&zipcode=60625&country=US&geodiff=1">Western Avenue at Wilson</a>. It made it to the sidewalk where it laid on top of a pile of snow. I pulled over and called 311. I waited 40 minutes. I gave up waiting for animal control after a policeman told me it could take hours. When I got home, I researched the internet for wildlife rehabilitation resources in Chicago. There are none. There's a handful of rural wildlife rehabilitators, most, it seemed, who don't deal with raccoons. There's <a href="http://www.dupageforest.com/education/willowbrook.html">Willowbrook Wildlife Center</a> but they service DuPage County (they are funded by the DuPage County Forest Preserve). I also learned that most vets won't treat wild animals. I emailed my alderman; Anne Kent, Executive Director of Cook County Animal Care & Control; Melinda Pruett-Jones, Executive Director Chicago Wildlife Corporate Council and Steve Thompson, VP of Lincoln Park Zoo. I'll let you know how it goes. Meanwhile, at this <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2fckqw">animal rehabilitator's ebay store</a>, you can view pictures of domesticated and wild animals she has rescued. The photos are graphic and not suitable for everyone. Stan Gehrt, a wildlife biologist at the <a href="http://www.mcgrawwildlife.org/main.taf?p=1">Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation</a> in Dundee, had been studying raccoons in Kansas, Texas, and northeastern Illinois for 17 years when he was interviewed for an article in the <a href="http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/summer2002/raccoons.html">summer 2002 issue of Chicago Wilderness magazine</a>. You can learn more about raccoons at <a href="http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/vines/4892/picbin.html">The Gable's Raccoon World</a>. The above photo came from the <a href="http://dnr.state.il.us/">Illinois Department of Natural Resources website.</a>Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11091815786829687512noreply@blogger.com