Man Helps Raccoon Caught In Beer Can (Florida, With Pic)

Fort Myers News-Press ^ | October 27, 2002

[Shermy]

Coors Light and curiosity were almost a dangerous combination for a Bonita Springs raccoon.

The fluffy black and white masked creature spent more than a week climbing trees and hobbling around the shores of the eastern Imperial River with a rusty, dented Coors Light beer can stuck on her paw.

[Shermy]

CAN OF TROUBLE: This raccoon was trapped by a Bonita Springs man who was trying to help it get a beer can off its paw. The female raccoon, named Beer Foot by its rescuer, had severely injured its paw in the can. Special to The News-Press

[Shermy]

Bona fide Hold Muh Beer Alert

[mhking]

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!
This has come about after much badgering by you, my friends and extended family...

[eastsider]

The fluffy black and white masked creature spent more than a week climbing trees and hobbling around the shores of the eastern Imperial River with a rusty, dented Coors Light beer can stuck on her paw.... Amputation is not possible, LeBlanc said, because creatures such as raccoons need both front paws to climb trees and forage for food.

???

[struwwelpeter]

Good man. A vet should've done this procedure for free in order to reap the good publicity.

Ten cents worth of ketamine and rompun, three seconds worth of snipping, and another dime's worth of antibiotics. Lots cheaper than a new sign.

[b4its2late]

Guess they don't have to worry about rabies in FL huh? In NY, we've been told to treat every raccoon as if it were rabid. So, if I see one with a beer can crossing the road, I'm heading for it instead of stopping to help it........I'm assuming it's foaming from the mouth from rabies, not beer foam.....

[FreedomPoster]

City slicker? Racoons do, indeed, climb trees.

[FreeTally]

Bona fide Hold Muh Beer Alert

Nah, this is a "let go of muh beer" alert.

[FreedomPoster]

RacoonsRaccoons

[mg39]

That's a great thing this person did. Goes to show not everyone is an SOB who would rather run over an animal than help it.

[TroutStalker]

The fluffy black and white masked creature spent more than a week climbing trees and hobbling around the shores of the eastern Imperial River with a rusty, dented Coors Light beer can stuck on her paw.

The so called "reporter" made this up. Since when do aluminum cans rust?

[rintense]

Aw! Poor baby. I hope the beer was worth it for the critter. She can come and live on my property.

[chuknospam]

Racoons are frequently found with rabies in FL. I trapped a coon once, unintentionally while trying to trap a cat, It took some time to just get the door opened safely to release it, it was like a wildcat, mean & mad as hell. They appear cute but believe me, they are trouble and belong in the wild, not in suburbia, & are best observed from a distance.

[TroutStalker]

I had a rabid coon come to my house about twenty five years ago. Kept hearing a funny noise outside, and went out to see a very large racoon lurching sideways just off of the deck. I went inside to get my rifle to dispatch it, but when I returned it was nowhere to be seen. I had no desire to try and find it in the dark, but you can be sure I was very wary of all the wild animals around there for quite some time.

[demosthenes the elder]

The reporter may have mistaken the staining on the can for rust. See the photo, decide for yourself.
While you are correct that aluminum does not "rust" (ie oxidize into Fe2O3 or Fe3O4) it does indeed oxidize, very rapidly - forming an airtight surface layer of Aluminum Oxide which prevents further oxidation, and can stain if corroded by exposure to chemicals other than atmospheric oxygen.
Reporters are barely capable of describing what they see and understand. Surely you don't demand they accurately describe anything so abstruse as molecular chemistry?

I'm glad the critter seems to be on the mend. I am a hunter, and thus am all for wildlife conservation and against littering.

[LouD]

Raccoons are not exactly an endangered species. In fact, they're a nuisance, with few predators once they start moving in to developed areas. They are mean, nasty animals, and sometimes attack people.

I'd have just shot the varmint, and put it out of its misery. If it didn't have a beer can on its foot, I'd have just shot it anyway.

[mg39]

I had to catch a raccoon once with a pole & noose when I worked for a wildlife sanctuary. It was during the day, which often means rabies, but this one didn't put up a fight at all. Unfortunately, it had to be euthanized.

As others have said, raccoons are best viewed from within the safety of your home. We've got a family who comes around at night in our backyard, and it's always a delight to watch them -- from the inside!

[adaven]

City slicker? Racoons do, indeed, climb trees.

He was meaning that the racoon was climbing trees with this "rusted" can on his paw, but then it goes on to say that they could not amputate because racoons need both paws to climb trees.

[mg39]

"They are mean, nasty animals, and sometimes attack people...I'd have just shot the varmint, and put it out of its misery. If it didn't have a beer can on its foot, I'd have just shot it anyway."

Trust me bud, there are some varmints which are meaner and nastier and frankly, of less benefit to this world.

[dead]

That raccoon is alot cuter than most I've seen.

I had this big fat dirty bastard who used to knock over our garbage cans (down the Jersey shore) and spread the garbage all over our lawn. It could undo the locking handles of the garbage can and would gnaw through or even untie ropes we used.

Finally I put a huge slab of slate on top of one of the lids. At about two in the morning, I heard a huge crash and a fierce howling. The fat raccoon ran away, and never came back, so I guess they can also learn from bad experiences.

This one probably won't drink Coors Light again. I only had to taste that crap once to learn my lesson.