Chile our little stoway was released in the early fall.   He had put on over 10Lbs and was ready to go.

Oiginal Story:

On Thursday Oct 14th The Raccoon Cabin received a call from Officer Mc Dowell from US Customs and Border Control.  Karen Caraway answered the call where Officer Mc Dowell informed
her that during a CBP inspection they found a small raccoon in a crate that had boarded a boat and traveled to Chile and back.  He needed help and did not want to euthanize the raccoon
as Texas Parks and Wild Life had suggested.  The raccoon appeared to have an injured leg but otherwise seemed ok.  Karen questioned him on the injury and after deciding it was not
distemper agreed to assist.  She told him she needed to get some help and would call him back.

She then called the director Janie Oney and asks for her recommendation on how to proceed.  They agreed that the only option would be for the officer to purchase or locate a trap and
try to trap the animal.  Karen call Mr. Dowell back and recommend he locate a trap or go to Grainger or Home Depot and purchase one.  She gave him instruction on what to put in the

trap and recommended that he cover the trap to make it dark and more inviting for the raccoon and to call her when he had him in the trap.  The next morning the office called Karen back
to inform her he had trapped the raccoon.  Karen requested that he put the trap in a quite dark location until we could get there to pick him up.   Karen and Janie drove about 2 hours to
La Porte at the Barbours Cut Terminal to pick up the raccoon.  Upon arriving they meet officer Mc Dowell and he took them into the room where he had placed the raccoon.  To our
surprise the little raccoon appeared very healthy even after 8 days of traveling with no food or water.  His leg seemed a little swollen but did not appear to be broke or seriously injured.  He
could stand on all 4 legs.  The officer explained that he had been trapped between two pallets during the trip and thought that he hurt his leg trying to get out.

The officers had done a great job at giving him water and food and keeping away from everyone in a quite dark room.  He did not seem stress or extremely scared.   We carried him to Karen’s
SUV where she had loaded a large cage with food and water ahead of time.   Karen held the trap up and aligned it with the door of the cage while Janie opened it and the little raccoon willingly
went into the cage with out any problems.  With in a shot time he was curled up in a corner sleeping.  He will be placed in isolation and monitored over the next few weeks to be sure he dose
not need a visit to a vet. for his leg and that he has not contracted any other disease while aboard.   Once he has put a little weight back on and recive his Distemper and Provo vaccines he will be  
released back into his area.