Don’t buy exotic pets, says racoons’ ‘mammy’

Animal rescue volunteers have appealed to the public not to buy exotic pets after they added two baby racoons to the scores of homeless creatures in their care.

Brother and sister, Bonnie and Clyde, are thriving at three months old thanks to the dedication of their human “mammy”, Heather Wall, who took them in at three weeks old and fed them every three hours, day and night for weeks.

But while the mischievous pair are loving their new home at the Irish Wildlife Sanctuary at Wells House and Gardens at Ballyedmond, Co Wexford, and have been an instant hit with visitors, Heather warned the allure of owning an exotic pet was best resisted.

“When they’re at home with me, they run around my kitchen like wild things because that’s what they are. They bite and scratch because that’s what racoons do.

“They’re never going to be like a dog. They’re cute and cuddly but their teeth hurt — you should see the bruise I have on my arm at the minute and I’m mammy to them, so they like me.”

The racoons have joined 152 other animals being cared for at the sanctuary which takes in everything from baby hedgehogs and badgers to injured buzzards and otters, as well as many caged animals from mice and rabbits to equally furry but not so cute tarantulas.

“With the wildlife, we try to rehabilitate and release to the wild where possible. With the domestic pets, we try to rehome them. We also rehomed some Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs which was great but we have other full-sized pigs as well.”

A snake and lizards also feature among the residents, including two large iguanas which had to have their tails amputated after they outgrew their containers and injured themselves in the confined spaces.

“An iguana lives 25 to 30 years and turtles and tortoises can live 30 years so people need to factor that in when they’re thinking about a pet.

“What happens a lot of the time is that children get the pet and then they grow up and go to college or leave home for work and then it’s left to the mammies to look after them and they don’t want them.

“But even when they are wanted, they don’t belong in a house in Ireland. We do our best for them here but we can’t give them what they would have in the wild.”

There is no law against trading in exotic pets but Heather pleaded with people not to be tempted to go down that route. “We’re putting our faith in the children who come here because they’re the next generation and hopefully they’ll grow up respecting animals and understanding them better.”

The sanctuary relies entirely on donations and the small fees they charge for letting children engage in activities like bottle feeding the baby goats. Details of visiting times can be had at www.wellshouse.ie and there is an Irish Wildlife Sanctuary Facebook page that gives regular updates on new arrivals.