Raccoons

Raccoons, raccoons, raccoons! Everywhere I look, every time I think, even in my sleep! I am possessed and haunted by these creatures. 

This is what a few days of being on raccoons does to you! It's like they become a part of who you are. It's fun to watch the interns come in for supper. All of them super excited to eat, and then the raccoon intern comes in. Covered in grit from head to toe, she walks towards the table in a dreamlike stance, and her eyes are burning flames! It looks like she just got back from a war! That's because raccoons is a war! A mental, physical battle! You are always thinking about, 

How do I avoid the raccoon round worm? How do I avoid being peed on? How can I clean this pen faster? How can I keep the raccoons from trying to pull down my pants?!!!!! 

The worst is trying to vaccinate them! They are so hard to hold down. It's horrible when they start screaming! The raccoons are very protective of each other, so when the one is screaming they all come to it's defense! This happened the other day while I was vaccinating raccoons with one of the staff members, Alexis. She had the raccoon pinned, I took the cap off the needle, and the thing started screaming! Instantly all the other raccoons came running at us. I won't lie, it was scary! There was one approaching at my head level so I was growling at it, when suddenly one jumped at my foot! I kicked at it out of surprise, and them jabbed myself with the needle. 

There is never an uneventful day as an intern!

There are some things I enjoy about working with raccoons though! I really enjoy giving them enrichment! Enrichment is basically entertainment for the animals, Most of the animals get it, but the raccoons, I feel, love it the most! It is so much fun watching the raccoons ripping away at their moss logs, or attacking piles of straw, or trying to get kibble out from inside a cardboard box. The other day Alexis and I went to a marsh not too far from the center and got them cattails. They really loved it! They were amazed with the fluffy stuff when they tore the cattails up. It was totally worth getting it for them!

Alexis truck piled high with cattails!

The raccoons exploring the reeds!

I also get some satisfaction out of deep cleaning raccoon pens. It's a lot of work pulling all the stuff out, raking the floor, and reassembling it. However, the finished product looks amazing! I feel like an interior decorator for animals. I wonder if there is a career like that out there?

And lastly working with Alexis is so much fun! She is literally the most patient person ever, and I don't think I could of learned to vaccinate a raccoon as well without her instruction. She deserves the title "Raccoon Queen"!

The Begining

So where do I even begin to describe this blog? You could say it's a narration of my first steps into adulthood, or you could say it's a blog about my experience as an intern at a Canadian Wildlife Center. I'm going to say it's a bit of both!

I remember as a child always dreaming about the day I would be able to go out into the world on my own! That day though, the day I was dropped off at Sandy Pines, my initial excitement had turned to dust and all that was left was this sickening fear. To be honest, I had doubted I would accepted as an intern here! I was certain applicants with post secondary credentials would be given priority over me. I applied anyway, because what was the harm? I loved working with animals and the more experience and time I could spend with them the better! Long behold I was accepted, and was shuffling my stuff into the intern house, putting on a brave face for my parents, and waving goodbye as I was left on the doorstep alone. No family to seek comfort in, no friends by my side. I was beginning my own adventure, on my own! Heading off into the wild world!

Of course, as with many things in life, there really wasn't much to fear! Despite the age gap between the other interns and I, I still feel as if I fit in. Feeding myself has turned out to be no trouble! (I am very good at it!) I was worried the other interns might be uncomfortable around me, because of my religious beliefs. So far though, they have respected mine, and so for the most part I have respected theirs.

Anyhow, I'm three weeks into this internship and this place is starting to feel like home! I enjoy waking up to the roosters crowing, and to Sue calling the dogs for breakfast. I enjoy chilling in the evening with the other interns as we eat our giant midnight snacks! The work is rough, I won't lie, but I am learning so much and working hard sure makes suppertaste good! I am going to be existing here for five months, and at this point I think I will survive it! However, during the interview, Leah said I'm stuck here for that period unless I die, so if I don't survive it I'm dieing here! lol

Me with Sue's horse Saffy. On my days off Sue let's me work with her horses, which makes me very happy!

Tiny snapping turtle that was brought in!

 

I was originally planning to blog my experience here, but I didn't have a computer. Luckily for me, the director Sue said I could borrow hers! She also said that people interested in the center like to follow the intern blogs, so that kind of motivated me to start this as well. So hopefully I won't disappoint anyone, and stay committed to writing at least one post a week! Until then!