In Letcher County, Kentucky, a nurse discovered a drunken raccoon that had stopped breathing inside a trash bin and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), ultimately reviving it. According to a report from WLEX TV on September 4, Misty Combs, a nurse with 21 years of experience, encountered this unusual situation despite having dealt with numerous medical challenges throughout her career.
One recent day, Combs, who works at the county health department, and her colleagues noticed a panicked raccoon running across the parking lot. Soon after, they heard a commotion coming from a nearby trash bin. Combs explained that their department is located next to a distillery, where some fermented peaches had been discarded in the trash. She guessed that the young raccoon had climbed into the bin to feed and then got trapped inside.
She realized that the raccoon's mother was anxiously searching for her babies, hoping to bring them to safety. Driven by her natural maternal instincts, Combs decided to rescue the young raccoons so they could reunite with their mother. Using a shovel, she carefully scooped out the first raccoon, which immediately ran to its mother. However, the second raccoon was lying face down at the bottom of the bin, which was filled with water and peaches soaked in alcohol.
Without hesitation, Combs grabbed the second raccoon's tail and pulled it to safety but quickly found that it had lost consciousness. She said, "People around were saying, 'It's dead, not breathing.' It had drowned, was soaked in water, and you could feel the wetness, so I immediately started CPR."
A video taken by a colleague shows Combs pressing on the raccoon's chest, turning it onto its side, and patting its back. Although she had never performed CPR on an animal before, she told WLEX TV that she did everything she could to save the little raccoon's life. Suddenly, the raccoon began to breathe again. Combs admitted that she hesitated at first, worried it might bite her upon waking or that it could have rabies, which made her very afraid.
Wildlife officers from the local Fish and Wildlife Department later took the raccoon to a veterinary clinic, where it received fluids to help it regain consciousness. Eventually, the raccoon was returned to the health department parking lot, where Combs had the honor of releasing it back into the wild to reunite with its mother.
Raccoons: Masters of Adaptation
National Geographic magazine points out that raccoons are found almost everywhere because they eat nearly anything. You can find traces of these mammals in forests, swamps, grasslands, and even cities. Their strong adaptability allows them to use their dexterous front paws and fingers to search for and enjoy a wide variety of foods. They are even known to open trash bins to eat whatever is inside.
Habitat and Early Life of Raccoons
When it comes to choosing a habitat, raccoons may live in tree hollows, fallen logs, or attics of houses. A mother raccoon typically gives birth to one to seven kits in early summer.
The young raccoons usually spend the first two months or so of their lives in high tree hollows. Later, when the kits begin to explore independently, the mother moves all her young to the ground.
Raccoons in Different Regions
Raccoons living in high-latitude regions gorge themselves during the spring and summer seasons to store fat, and then spend most of the winter hiding in caves, sleeping.
Besides the familiar North American raccoons, there are several other species of raccoons. Most of these other raccoons live on tropical islands.
