Late last month, during a heavy winter storm, an elderly man in Massachusetts noticed something unusual in the snow piling up in his front yard. An animal lay there — too cold and weak to seek shelter.
The man knew he couldn’t ignore it.
Moving in closer, the man realized the animal was a seemingly lifeless raccoon, becoming more and more snow-covered by the minute.
Yet as the raccoon shifted helplessly on the ground, the man realized there was still hope of saving him.
The man dialed for help from local authorities, but due to the snowstorm, assistance was not immediately forthcoming. Eventually, he reached out to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue, and a team of volunteers was dispatched to help.
“We drove out to rescue him, and our hearts broke just to see him out there, covered in snow and shivering,” Newhouse Wildlife Rescue wrote in a post. “His finder trudged through the snow to greet us and thanked us profusely.”
Back at the rescue center, the freezing raccoon got his first taste of relief. He was placed in the warmth of an incubator to raise his body temperature. But, at first, it was unclear if he’d ultimately pull through.
Fortunately, the raccoon proved to be a fighter. Nearly two weeks after the older gentleman insisted on getting him help, things are looking optimistic.
“The raccoon is stable, making slow recovery,” rescuers told The Dodo. “We are happy that we can provide him with the warmth and care that he needs.”
With any luck, the raccoon will continue to improve with hopes of an eventual release back into the wild.
Rescuers believe the raccoon was just a victim of the brutal cold, more so than of any illness or disease. But though the effects of nature can at times be harsh and even deadly, in this case, they were countered by an even more potent force — the compassion of an old man and the kindness of the rescuers who answered his call.
To learn more and to find out how you can help, visit Newhouse Wildlife Rescue’s website here.
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