VISITORS


We always seem to have visitors to our garden, mostly birds and the feral cats of the village. Sometimes a dog will wander onto the property, but Misha soon chases them off. Last year we had a family of squirrels to entertain us for a while.

Three days ago, another uninvited visitor came to our back garden. I was startled to see him, sitting at the base of a maple tree in the early afternoon. He showed no fear of us as he busily washed himself. As we watched him I noticed two rather large bare patches on skin on his back legs. They were red and raw, and suspiciously tire shaped. It was these areas he was vigorously cleaning. When he at last mustered up the strength to move, his hind quarters were not working well. He was still able to move all of his limbs, but not without discomfort. Heartbreaking. My first impulse was to pick him up, but since he is a wild raccoon, better judgement prevailed. It is best to allow him to heal naturally on his own. We have been feeding him cat food, which he seems to thoroughly enjoy. Water is provided by the melting snow running into the ditch beside the tree he is using for shelter. Rupert, as we’ve named him, is quite used to us already, and does not fuss when we walk up to him to fill his dinner plate. He and Misha seemed to have reached an understanding and pretty much ignore one another.

Today Rupert is moving around much better. He is more active and alert, so the healing process is progressing well. How long he will be with us only Mother Nature knows, but he knows he is safe here for the time being. Eventually his natural instincts will tell him when it is time to move on. Until then, we are enjoying getting to know him and grateful for the opportunity to help him heal.