Teamwork frees raccoon`s head from jar

Thursday, July
SUN POST
11,
2013
Teamwork frees raccoon's head from jar
ByBobsandrick Johnson, h registered nurse didn'tbudge.
bsondrick@sunnews.com working third shift at Pleas- Fitzgerald tried again.
antview, walked outside
call.
to
She
didn't want to hurt the rac-
about three minutes to rejar. He slipped on
gloves, put one hand on the
raccoon's back and twisted
the jar once or twice with the
move the
A young raccoon"l make a phone
PARMA
1l Johnson spotted the rac- coon, so she didn't tug too
with a glass jar stuck on its
head was saved by two Parma coon in the front parking
Finally, Fitzgerald gave up other hand.
firefighters last week.
The jar popped off and the
The animal, unable to see be- and walked back toward
-
lot.
hard.
the
tlowever,therescuenever cause ofthe jar, was wan- building. The raccoon fol- raccoonranintothewoods.
would have occurred if not for dering in circles and bumpir\g lowed her.
The jar might have contliree nurses at Pleasantview intocurbs.
"He must have realized I tained peanuibutter at one
Care Centet,7377 Ridge "Itwassad,"Johnsoniaid. was trying to help him," timebutitwasimpossibleto
Road.
tell. It had been completely
"I come from a family of ani- tr'itzgerata siid.
The nurses called firefight- mal rescuers. I was heartbro- Johnson cried after Fitzge- licked clean ofcontents.
ers after seeing the jar- ken."
rald,s unsuccessful attempts, Also, the raccoon had alcrowned raccoon scampering Johnson -ran back inside to remove the jar.
most completely scratched off
around the Pleasantview and told Church and Bonnie ,,I know residents and peo- the jar's label in an attempt t0
parking lot. .. Fitzgerald, another Pleasant:-1le think of-raccoons as pests, free itself.
"None of us could stand the vieviLpN,'about the raccoon. iut they are God,s rr.uturri Since the rescue, the racthought of any living creature ff,.V *or.ied rtLat it would too,'iJofrnson saia.
coon has not returned to say
being trapped like tha.t and *aoder onto Ridge Road, so ihurch feared she would thanks. For the nurses, its
starving to death," said Sha- they talked aborit how tirey leave work ar 7:30 a.m. and freedom is all the thanks ihey
ron Church, a licensed practi- mig-ht rescue it.
find the raccoon dead in the need.
-_-,7wttho"gt
cal nursb at Pleasantview.
i *u might put a road. ih;;i;a 15* ii* O*- Bur the nurses could not
"Thatls v-ery cruel,"
stop thanking the firefighters.
9l'$ btanket ou.i it, head-and pull partment.
said' "we became nursgs be ori tt. jar, but we were con- "I know they rescue kit- 'iThat's above and 6eyond
cause we can't stand to see
aUout raUies," Johnson tanr,; Ct rrat sard--'I called their call of duty," Church
"arnaO
--Responding ts [he--seene-::Fiag.rrtd
took iction. she riaradrrtrrrught of this poor$ee morg-Parmrnews at
were Parma,rilerie-nte.J1
and posi- littte raccoon starvins to ,r.*riiJ..irip"rr..
rt;;;;;;;tsitte
loj
CastleandJohnConroy.It;^;:;;.;;;.;';;;;';.;^^;;;;:''"i'.].li-'-*"-uli
Ridge death because it can
------------- herself
between
tionei
can'tr getltris
ser
-l"l,I :Tl",i3Xff:ffi'H1ffi'lf;
didn't take them rong':J-,::
li
"'u
i,",Ttrffi"ffi
jar
from the raccoon's
the
;il;i;;;ij not run into the castle said it took him Twitter: @Bobsandrick
head.
-"It*u,nobigdeal,,,Castle't1:Iitutto*"a'Te-tg,cetclosei,l-,.,
was halfBut it was a big deal to the }119-t1.tiid' "It
looking
at
me through the
pleasantviewnurseJ."^^three
looked at them (Castle Jar-'Fitzgerald took a couple of
y)-and totd them, l.
pactures
of the raccoon with
'You guys are ou, treroes,;'l
h_er cell phone camer?.
Church
said.
Thgn
--i;h;fi;red
in the early- she reachedout' grabbed the
jut and pulled' but the jar
morning hours of July 3.jiff
"I
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