A volunteer from Wildlife in Need (WIN) PA rescued four orphaned raccoon kits from the back of a pickup truck in Hilltown yesterday.
The four kits were discovered by someone who walked by the truck and notified police who were on the property in the 4600 block of Bethlehem Pike for an unrelated call, said Hilltown Police Chief Chris Englehart.
The chief said he believed someone had put the kits into the truck, which had a cap on it, but added he did not know for certain. He said no charges or citations would be filed against the person who was caring for them.
“They were in pretty good shape,” Englehart said, adding someone had been providing the kits with food and water. “They looked very happy and healthy.”
Englehart added, however, that the kits would not have fared well when the weather turns warmer. Not only that, but they can be harmful to humans.
“While quite adorable, baby raccoons can pose dangers to your health if they carry infectious diseases or parasites and should only be handled by professionals,” the police department said in a Crimewatch posting thanking Lise Lockwood, a volunteer with Wildlife in Need (WIN) PA, for her assistance in rescuing the family of orphaned baby raccoon kits.
Wildlife in Need Emergency Response of Pennsylvania (WIN) is an all-volunteer, donation-funded, nonprofit, statewide organization dedicated to capturing and transporting injured, sick and orphaned wild animals to licensed rehabilitators.
Lockwood, of Washington Crossing, said she moved the kits into her Rubbermaid tote with air holes drilled into it, and with the help of other WIN volunteers transported them to Cricket Wildlife in Alburtis, Lehigh County. She said two closer rehabilitation clinic were full.
“It is baby season, and baby season is booming,” she said.
Lockwood said WIN has permits through the state Game Commission to capture and transport wildlife. And, she added, “We bring animals to permitted rehabilitators.”
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