Runaway racoon in Co Wexford is finally captured with the help of a chocolate bar
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The racoon was finally captured on Tuesday, November 28.
After weeks of evading capture, a racoon the “size of a big dog or a small pig” was captured in Ballygarrett on Tuesday night by the Wexford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WSPCA).
The Wildlife Protective Services had been struggling to catch the racoon before the WSPCA stepped in recently. “The new team had a more professional approach and were very helpful,” said Yulia Vasetska from Ukraine, who had been feeding the racoon in her back garden in Ballygarrett for nearly a year.
The WSPCA set up a new smaller trap on the grass in Yulia’s back garden and covered it in branches. Racoons are attracted to sweet treats so the new team set up marshmallows, chocolates and peanut butter in the trap with the hopes of luring him in.
The only issue with this method was that it also attracted other animals from the area. “It was mental, me and my kids got no sleep for a week because the neighbours big black dog got stuck in the trap at night,” said Yulia. After conferring with her neighbour, they were able to keep the dog away and soon the racoon was lured back to the garden by a fudge bar and successfully trapped on Tuesday night.
Since then, the racoon has been rehomed to a wildlife reserve in Limerick where he has made friends with other foxes. “This is our happily ever after and me and the kids will definitely visit him at his new home,” said Yulia.
Michael Fortune, a local man who grew up in Ballygarrett, helped Yulia find a home for the racoon.
“My job was to join up the dots. The power of social media and the locals down there have been great to her as well so really it was a great way to connect people. It’s a good news story and the poor thing lives on for another day,” said Michael.
The owner of the nature reserve is thinking of calling the racoon Garrett after the man who named Ballygarrett. The racoon will now be micro-chipped, licensed and neutered.
“Thankfully for this guy, it is a happy ending as we managed to secure an ideal knowledgeable home which is both approved and licensed and he will have the company of other racoons. The story could have had a very different ending had we not been able to secure this home. There are lots of comments on Facebook about how cute he was but these animals need specialist care, good intent is not enough to provide them with a home but a very sound knowledge and decent facility are needed,” said a spokesperson for the WSPCA.
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