Harford Animal Control Rescues Baby Raccoon

JOPPA, MD – Sometimes law enforcement officials help children who can't find their parents. But a case that unfolded this week in Harford County was a bit different.

A baby raccoon had been crying for three days, and on the third day, Joppa residents called authorities to ask for help, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

Officials said the baby raccoon had been unable to find his mother, who did not seem to be returning, so animal control personnel came and scooped him up, taking the little one to the Humane Society of Harford County.

"After a bottle at the Humane Society, he stopped crying!" the Harford County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

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The sheriff's office said that the baby raccoon—named "Bandit"—was taken to Phoenix Wildlife Center, where he will be cared for until he can be returned to the wild.

The Phoenix Wildlife Center, which reports it rescued 96 raccoons last year, advises citizens concerned about baby raccoons who appear to be without their mother to wait 24 hours to take action (unless the baby is injured or being preyed upon), as the mother may be out foraging and will return the next day when it is dark.

Typically, raccoons in Maryland give birth between April and June, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which reports they are most active in the state between spring and fall. Litters generally include two to five babies, who stay with their mother until fall, when they can go forth and forage on their own, natural resources officials say.

Photo Credit: Harford County Sheriff's Office/Humane Society of Harford County.