The White Raccoon

 

You may remember that, toward the end of July, the radio broadcast frequent updates on a fierce factory fire down near Amhurstburg. We wondered about Wings, a very good wildlife sanctuary down in that area – but we did not expect to hear from them. But we did. The phone rang. A house had been completely burned, the family car – everything on the property except an enclosure where an albino raccoon had been given a home. The people who lost their house phoned Wings for help – and Wings phoned us.

 

The dictionary gives a very brief definition of “albino”: any animal or plant abnormally lacking in colour. Over the years we have raised several albinos. Some were likely not completely albino. Their colour was very faint, with some traces of markings and dark eyes. Others were snowy white, with pink eyes and nose and paws – and often blind. These seemed to be quite short lived.

 

The albino who is presently with us is mature, well fed and healthy. He is a wonderful creamy colour, with no sign of any markings, and pink eyes and a pink nose. The vet who operated on, and managed to restore the sight of Silka, the deer who was born blind, came to visit her this week, and took time to examine the raccoon. He assessed her sight as, at best, very slight – and, possibly, totally blind. Anyway, next time he is back he will be able to examine more closely.

 

I remember one of the almost-albinos who came to us from just north of Huntsville; I was told that her chance of survival, released, would be minimal. As I watched her, I couldn’t see how, apart from her colouring. She was different from any other raccoon. So, when she was old enough, I released her in the barn where she would be free to come and go, and where I could watch her. For the winter, she disappeared. Come spring, she was back again, and pregnant. The next spring I was visited by a young raccoon with a very pale mask, but in every other way quite normal. Since then, more than a dozen years ago now, there has been no sign of any albino characteristics in any young raccoons born in this area.

 

The raccoon living with us just now is living a good life; her eye sight is the most severe handicap. Meanwhile, she eats and plays and – one can’t help but speculate – does she rather enjoy the way people stop and see her and say, startled, “Now what on earth kind of an animal is THAT?” She lets them guess.