It’s been a year, why are you two leaving just now?

We mentioned before that helping rescued animals recover quickly and releasing them back to the wild as soon as possible is usually our preferred strategy in the rescue process. But in some cases, animals need to rest here for a longer period of time, such as the crested eagle that needs to recover its damaged feathers before being released; the common buzzard that has been resting in the rescue center for a year due to fracture surgery, etc.

And what we are going to talk about today are two “invisible” raccoon dogs.

01 Came here last year and left this year ✦

Last spring, we received two young raccoons. After a comprehensive physical examination, we determined that they were healthy and in good condition, so we quickly decided to release them back into the wild in the spring of the following year.

The reason why we choose to release them in the spring of the second year and give them a year to grow in the rescue center is that they are relatively small in age and size when they are first rescued, and they will face many challenges in surviving in the wild. We want them to be strong enough to face the challenges of the wild after they grow to a sufficient size and have the ability to protect themselves, and finally achieve a smooth transition from rescue to independent survival.

Since they will spend a relatively long time in the rescue center, we don't want them to be too dependent on us during this period, so we chose a way to minimize contact and found a quiet cage for them to live in where they are not disturbed by people. This cage is a little special, and the special thing is that there is a cave in it. This cave is not prepared by us for the two little raccoons, but comes from the porcupine that lived in this cage before.

Professional digging for 100 years~

Because raccoon dogs are not particularly good at digging holes, in the wild, they prefer to use abandoned holes of other animals as their habitat. Porcupines, on the other hand, are known for their excellent digging abilities and like to build a comfortable underground home for themselves. In this way, one likes to dig, and the other likes to live in a ready-made place. They hit it off, and the resources of the rescue center were used perfectly.

The two raccoons quickly adapted to their new living environment and successfully moved into the cave left by the porcupine. In this way, we hope to protect them while helping them retain their original living habits and survival skills as much as possible, so that they can better adapt to life in the wild in the future.

02 Why is it an "invisible" raccoon? ✦

After the two little raccoons moved into the porcupine cave, they began their "invisible" life. This "invisibility" does not mean that they cannot see us, but that we rarely see them in this year. Only when we pass by their cage at night, we can occasionally see their fleeting figures hiding quickly. They seem to have completely integrated into this new environment, hiding in their own little world.

It's not that they can't see, it's that we can't see

As mentioned earlier, we hope to keep the little raccoon dogs away from us during their growth, so that they don’t develop too much intimacy and dependence. Based on this goal, we manage the two little raccoons by providing them with enough food every night so that they can eat quietly without anyone around.

Two little raccoon dogs that can only be seen occasionally

Sufficient food can give the raccoons a sense of security and satisfaction, reducing their dependence and expectations on humans. Because they do not need to rely on humans for food, they will not associate the source of food with humans. In this way, when they face life alone in the wild in the future, they will be able to better maintain a safe distance from humans.

So how can we tell if they are doing well when we can hardly see them? Through the rescue experience accumulated in the daily rescue of the rescue center and the long-term observation of the local resident raccoon dog "Wanfeng", we have accumulated a lot of knowledge about the raccoon dog species. These valuable experiences provide us with an effective way to indirectly assess their health status.

Healthy raccoons usually have a good appetite and beautiful feces. Their food consumption and feces can help us understand the daily life and health level of the two raccoons. In addition to diet and excretion, we can also infer their activity level based on the messiness of the cage. Healthy raccoons are usually very active and like to explore, play and mark their territory. Therefore, if there are new changes in the cage every day and it looks messy, it means that they have enough physical strength and energy to carry out various activities.

In this way, the two "invisible" little raccoons spent a summer full of exploration and growth at the rescue center, and a colorful autumn. As the seasons changed, autumn turned to winter, and the two little raccoons became plump, growing from tiny little things into two strong individuals.

03 Winter is gone and spring is here, it’s time to say goodbye~✦

During the first winter of the two little raccoons' lives, we helped them to have a safe and controlled hibernation. During this winter, we still provided them with sufficient food reserves every day to maintain their physical strength and health, laying the foundation for their future survival ability after returning to the wild. We also provided them with some warm bedding and placed windproof tree roots at the entrance of the cave to simulate the cave conditions in which they live in the wild environment, so that they can successfully survive this period.

As the weather gradually warms up and everything gradually recovers, it is also a good time for the raccoon dogs to become active again. After a year of eating and drinking, they have become strong and have enough physical strength and skills to cope with the challenges of the wild. Moreover, in the whole process of rescue from childhood to adulthood, these two raccoon dogs have almost no direct contact with people, which also helps to maintain their wildness and independence, so that they can better integrate into the wild environment in the future. We chose a sunny day and released the two raccoon dogs to a wild habitat suitable for their survival. Watching them carefully stick their heads out at first, and then quickly run away and disappear from our sight.

They have started their new life, and our rescue work has come to a successful conclusion. I hope they can continue to thrive in the vast natural world and continue to write their own stories~