Frank, Blanche and the Swan

Posted on April 7, 2009 by Karen Johnson, DVM

On my way to work the other day I saw an adult raccoon do a 360 in the air after being hit by a car. It landed in the bushes and went scurrying off on three legs. I hate to see and think about stuff like that and I hope he/she is okay. Seeing that raccoon made me remember a summer in the mid 80s when I volunteered for a veterinarian who ran a wildlife rehabilitation center on the San Juan Islands. I didn’t really know what to expect when I signed up for the job but what I didn’t expect was what I found!

The rehab center turned out to be the front yard of the veterinarian’s single story 3 bedroom house. Actually, the animals weren’t necessarily limited to the yard and you never knew who you might encounter on your way to the kitchen or the bathroom. This was the summer I met Frank, Blanche and the Swan.

On one of my first days on the job I went with the vets husband (3rd marriage between them) to rescue some baby raccoons stranded high up in a fir tree after their mother had been hit and killed by a car. The vet told me the only reason she had married her husband for the 3rd time was that he could climb any size fir tree almost as fast and easily as a squirrel. When they were married, he would climb trees and rescue baby raccoons, when they were divorced he wouldn’t. She couldn’t do her rescue without a good tree climber so they married again. With a little skepticism a few of us headed out to the forest and found the tree with 4 little sets of eyes staring down at us from the far end of a large limb. While the rest of us stood on the ground holding the corners of a big sheet, the husband scurried up the tree laid himself out along the branch and shook it until the little guys lost their grip and fell into the sheet. Now you may think baby raccoons are cute, but their teeth are long, sharp and very dangerous. Although they aren’t really amenable to human contact when first rescued, with a little TLC they become manageable. The great thing about raccoons in rehab is that once they reach sexual maturity they again want nothing to do with people so they can be released back to the wild as capable and self-sufficient creatures.

Frank was the exception to the rule. Frank was a gigantic, fat and happy adult raccoon that lived as a member of the vet’s household. Frank had been hit by a car as a youngster and was paralyzed as the result of a broken back. He was perfectly comfortable navigating the confines of his home while dragging his hind limbs behind him. He was much like a cat, he liked to have his head patted but when the mood suited him he could be a pest. He made himself at home on all the furniture and got along well with all the others in the household. Franks biggest downfall as a house Pet, but very raccoon like, was his constant rummaging through and scattering the household garbage on the floor looking for a tasty tidbit or morsel that someone had thrown away. He never could figure out that cleaning up after oneself is a part of good house manners.

Blanche, a sea otter, came to the center near the beginning of my time there. A person walking on the beach saw her and scooped her up, believing that she had been abandoned by her mother when in truth she was just left to rest while her mother foraged for food. Since it wasn’t possible to return her to the place where she had been left Blanche came to stay at the rehab. Blanche was a curious, mischievous little creature as otters are known to be. Her favorite pastime was hiding herself under a desk and reaching out to nip on toes that came near her. Everyone wearing sandals or flip flops switched to thick socks and tennis shoes to avoid Blanche’s little love bites. Just like raccoons, sea otters have big teeth that can cause severe bite injuries. Luckily Blanche was a pretty happy go lucky little girl and was ready for any activity (or adventure) someone had in mind. After two months in the rehabilitation center, Blanche was returned to the beach where she was originally found. After a few quick trips to check on those who had cared for her, she made a beeline to the ocean and took off in the surf. It was a moment that will never be forgotten by those of us who watched her go.

Tune in next week to find out how I wound up trapped in a bathroom at the mercy of ‘the swan.



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