Latest news with #Swinimer
Global News
5 days ago
- General
- Global News
Green bins can become ‘death traps' for raccoons, N.S. wildlife rehab centre warns
A Nova Scotia wildlife rehabilitation centre is spreading the message about the importance of securing green bins, as it receives a growing number of calls about stuck raccoons. Hope for Wildlife, based in Seaforth, N.S., says it has seen a 'significant rise' in the number of these calls. Not only are raccoons finding themselves stuck inside the bins, but so too are squirrels and birds. During an 11 a.m. interview with Global News, Hope Swinimer, the centre's founder, said they had already received three such calls that day. 'It's definitely a seasonal issue and I get a lot more calls in the summer, but I have noticed this year we are getting more calls and I don't know if that's just because people are more aware of Hope for Wildlife and what we do, or whether that's because the problem has grown,' she said. Story continues below advertisement 'But (green bins are) really death traps any time in the year because they're trapped in there and they can't get out.' She notes raccoons are clever at opening lids and can be attracted by the smells coming from the green bins. 1:59 UBC scientists on the caper to crack the mystery of raccoon intelligence If someone does find a raccoon in their bin, Swinimer says she usually advises them to check on the status of the animal. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I ask a few questions (like) when's the last time they checked the green bin just to get an idea of how long that animal might have been in there,' she said. 'If they said they checked it yesterday, I'll recommend they put the bin on the side with the door open and go away for about a half hour and come back to see if the little raccoon scampered off.' Story continues below advertisement She says if the animal looks bright-eyed, alert and is clean, then that's a good thing. 'However, if they open the bin and the raccoon's wet and full of the waste that's in the bin and looks bedraggled and tired, then it's sort of a different process, because I know that animal will need to come in for medical care,' she said. 'They'll need to be rehydrated and examined and cleaned up before they could go back to the wild.' Her advice is to keep green bins clean and to store them away from walls or stairs, where animals can climb. The top of the bin should also be secured with a bungee cord. 'If you have a hard time pulling it open, then the raccoon will too,' she said.
Global News
22-05-2025
- General
- Global News
Dartmouth firefighters help give pair of orphaned raccoon kits a second chance
Everybody's heard of firefighters rescuing cats stuck in trees — but what about baby raccoons left in a parking lot? That's exactly what the crew at Fire Station 13 in Dartmouth faced on Sunday when they discovered a baby raccoon abandoned beside the wheels of a parked car. A second one was found the following day. 'It was cold, it was wet, and it was shivering,' said Richard Sullivan, an executive officer with Halifax Professional Firefighters Local 268. 'So, the firefighters brought the baby raccoon inside, they dried it off and they warmed it up, and then they called Hope for Wildlife.' When he arrived at Hope's, the baby was severely dehydrated. 'It needed fluids, to be warmed up, and all that good stuff,' said Hope Swinimer, founder of Hope for Wildlife. 'But it's really doing well now, and the next day they found another one, so arrangements were made to have that one brought into us, too.' Story continues below advertisement The pair of bandits were brought to the nursery, where they joined about 23 other orphaned raccoons that are being given a second chance. View image in full screen The two kits will be on milk for 4-5 more weeks. Ella Macdonald / Global News According to Swinimer, the rescue gets hundreds of baby raccoons a year — mostly due to human error. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Probably 70 per cent of the time, it's a case where a raccoon has gone into someone's attic and given birth,' Swinimer explained. 'But they trap the mom out, not knowing she has babies up there, and release her far far away. So, the babies are orphaned from that point on and there's no way to reunite.' But there are ways to avoid the risk, Swinimer said. 'It's really simple, they pick the attics 'cause they're dark and quiet. By putting a light and radio up there, we're giving that mom the exact opposite of what she wants, and over the next week she'll move her family unit to a site that she finds a little bit better for her to nurse her young.' Story continues below advertisement Another common way kits become orphaned is when their mothers are hit by vehicles. 'We usually see the dead mom on the road with the little baby still curled up with mom, so it's really sad.' Swinimer said. She adds if you see a raccoon dead by the side of the road, it's a good idea to pull over and check for kits when safe to do so. 'People will often gather up those babies and bring them to us,' she said. 'It's always good to check because this is the time of year everything has babies.'
