“Cement raccoon” gets new lease on life as a surrogate mother

Remember that poor raccoon rescued from a burial in wet cement earlier this summer in Arizona?

Well, the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, which helped rehabilitate the animal, has now introduced her to four orphaned baby raccoons.

“Our hope is that she will be a good foster mother for a litter of young raccoon kits particularly in need of comfort,” the center announced last week. “It seems to be going well, but it’s hard to observe their natural behavior together.”

“Cement raccoon” was found at a construction site outside Phoenix in June.

Her situation was dire.

“The harder this poor raccoon struggled to free herself the further she sank,” the center explained at the time.

When the raccoon was found she needed IV, a warming blanket and some vinegar baths to remove the hardening cement. Southwest Wildlife Conservation Centre/Facebook

She emerged from the ordeal frightened and mostly bald.

And with a lot of healing to do.

On the mend. Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center/Facebook

Now, her hair is growing back.

But she’s still recovering.

“As a result of chemical burns from the cement exposure, there are ugly scabs on her head and back,” the center explained in its Aug. 1 update. “The good news is that beneath those scabs she is healing and there is healthy skin. It must have been so painful for her. Thank goodness she was found and rescued.”

Now, she has some new friends to lean on — babies to mother.

But bonding and acclimatizing will take time.

“She and the babies are all so wild that they hide or freeze when they hear anyone coming,” the center wrote on Facebook. “We may try placing a trail camera so we can observe without being present.”

There has been an outpouring of support for the “old lady raccoon” and the facility.

“Thank you all for your compassion for this one old life,” the group added. “We will continue to do our best for her and all the wild lives in need who find their way to our door.”

Portrait of love and kindness. Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center/Facebook

Photos Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center/Facebook

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Recovering newspaper reporter.

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