562.434.0141 - 379 Newport Ave Ste. 302 Long Beach, CA90814

Being a raccoon, by nature I'm cute, adorable, intelligent and very determined. All of which is topped off with a streak of stubbornness. I'm a raccoon and I will have things my way. In time, the nice people who took me in, got tired of my inquisitive ways. Raccoons love to touch everything they can find and since I'm a raccoon that's what I did. Top that off with a stubborn streak that doesn't understand the word "NO" and you have a conflict afoot. Of course, I'll always win!!  To sum up the situation, I think the conflict over my touching everything outweighed my overwhelming cuteness. I found myself becoming unwelcome in my new home. But I was too imprinted to be kicked out into the wild.

At this point, I thought if I got hungry, I could just get a human to feed me. They're so easy to train after all. I've learned recently, however, that in the real world, humans are not the nicest of creatures and it would be best for me to stay away from them. If I approached one for food, it probably wouldn't understand what I was saying. I could end up injured, dead, or worse, stuffed in a cage and neglected. Realizing this, the people who gave me a home started searching for someone who was qualified; that had the proper state and federal licensing and a proper facility to house me. Someone that could teach me to be a wild raccoon again. This would be no easy task. After many phone calls, referrals and many disappointments, contact was made with All Wildlife Rescue and Education, Inc.

After AWRE passed the phone interrogation, my family wanted to make sure I would be treated with love, proper care, respect and that I would be safe, I was taken to my new home with AWRE. On arrival, I was given a thorough examination and was found to be healthy, although I was a little dehydrated. This was no problem to fix; some fluids were given and I got some "proper" food. It was good to have a full tummy. I don't know what my previous family had been feeding me but it sure wasn't good for raccoons.

Dave, at AWRE, spent many hours researching all about me and learned how to make me, and other imprinted like me, wild again. I think AWRE, through grants and donations, would like to build a facility just for this purpose.  Continued on page three...