DENVER, Colo. (KDVR) — A newborn raccoon in Colorado was rescued and revived after falling from a chimney and being separated from its family.
Last Sunday, Boulder Fire-Rescue reported that a neonate raccoon had dropped from a flue shelf inside a Boulder home’s chimney, landing in the fireplace on the bottom floor.
Jennie Whittle, an animal protection supervisor with the Boulder Police Department, placed the baby back on the shelf where its mother and siblings had been staying for about a week. The hope was that the mother would relocate the entire litter to a new home, officials said.
But two days later, the baby was still alone.
According to Boulder Fire-Rescue, the mother and the rest of the babies had left the chimney, but the newborn remained behind. Animal Protection officer Cheryl Stiso took over and moved the baby to an outdoor reunite box after spotting the raccoon family under the deck of the same home.
The box included a hot pad to keep the baby warm. However, by the next morning, the baby had crawled to the deck’s edge and was barely breathing after enduring cold and rain.
Stiso quickly stepped in to warm and revive the baby, using compressions. Boulder Police later shared the rescue in an Instagram story.
“Although animals like raccoons are very abundant in Colorado and especially Boulder, they are a vital part of the ecosystem,” said a spokesperson from Boulder Fire-Rescue.
The baby raccoon is now under the care of a licensed rehabilitator in Brighton who specializes in neonatal wildlife.
“Animal protection exists to prevent suffering and attempts to keep wildlife wild,” said the fire-rescue spokesperson.
“Because all the babies were otherwise healthy, they were good candidates for rehabilitation, and they will receive vaccines, basic care, species-specific nutrition, enrichment, and enclosures until they can be released.”
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