Torontonians try rescuing baby raccoons stuck in tree because wildlife groups are too busy, residents say
A small group of residents in Toronto’s east end attempted to rescue a group of baby raccoons stuck in a tree Wednesday afternoon.
The babies are inside a narrow hole in a large tree near Queen Street East and Broadview Avenue.
It’s been an upsetting situation for crossing guard Heather Fellows, who works a block away.
“The last couple of days, we have been hearing screeching, which is definitely the babies,” she told CTV News Toronto.
According to Fellows, the raccoon’s mother and one of her little ones died over the weekend. She said they were removed, but the others in the tree were not rescued.
One of the baby raccoons that fell out of the tree. (CTV News Toronto)
On Tuesday, she said one of the babies dropped and decided to bring the raccoon home.
“I feel so bad for them. They need their mom, but they also need rehab, and we should have the facilities for these things.”
Fellows said she called five different organizations to rescue the baby raccoons, but none were available.
Word of the raccoons and the situation spread on social media, and on Wednesday afternoon, a small group of people came together to try and get the raccoons down.
Since the raccoons are stuck in a high and tricky spot, they said a ladder doesn’t work. But it appears calling and coaxing the raccoons out of the trees worked, as a second one fell.
However, this one fell on a metal piece of gardening equipment, and one resident said it appears the animal’s nose was slightly injured.
Fellows said the babies would not drink milk. Area resident Siki Spasic has been feeding the babies out of the tree a liquid electrolyte solution for nourishment, following the advice she said she was given by a wildlife group.
One of the raccoons being fed some electrolytes. (CTV News Toronto)
“It’s really hard because there are so many amazing rescue wildlife centres, but they are completely slammed right now,” she said.
The number of 311 calls in the city is way up for injured wildlife.
While there were 2,302 calls between Jan.1 and May 9 in 2022, there were more than 6,340 over the same period in 2023.
Toronto Animal Services said calls about injured and sick animals increase with warmer weather, and the team is currently experiencing a high call volume of calls. This weekend it received 365 calls for sick and injured animals, and 195 service requests for cadaver pick-up.
The City of Toronto said, earlier in April, a distemper outbreak in the city’s raccoon population is partially to blame.
On the same block as the orphaned raccoons, area resident Heather Hnatiuk said she found a dead raccoon near a school. She’s concerned about the resources available to respond.
“I would hope there was a way of controlling the population so the animals, there weren’t so many to suffer, so I think it’s more of a preventive thing,” she said.
One of the rescued raccoons. (CTV News Toronto)
Some residents told CTV News Toronto they didn’t call 311 because they don’t want the babies euthanized.
CTV News Toronto reached out to Toronto Wildlife Centre about wait times and best practices for people who come across raccoons in need.
A spokesperson for Toronto Animal Services said in a statement to CTV News Toronto it works with various rescue groups, including Toronto Wildlife Centre, to provide emergency response, care and treatment.
“Toronto Animal Services’ Animal Control officers work to ensure the best possible care and outcomes for pets and wildlife. Our officers will not euthanize healthy or treatable animals - only animals that are in serious pain, fatally ill or in distress."
Wednesday night, Fellows said all five baby raccoons that were stuck in the tree had come down.
She said the one she brought home and the other four are being looked after together by another resident.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Wisconsin school district says active shooter 'neutralized' outside middle school
A Wisconsin school district said an active shooter was 'neutralized' outside a middle school in Mount Horeb on Wednesday, and no one inside the building was injured.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he does not regret calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko,' and now his MPs are renewing calls for the House of Commons Speaker to resign, this time over ordering the Official Opposition leader to leave the chamber.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
Lawyers for alleged serial killer to argue he is not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers told court they will argue alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women by way of a mental disorder.
B.C. tribunal decides first case involving non-consensual sharing of intimate images
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.