This project will allow for the construction of a facility on the Oaken Acres property that will be dedicated to the rearing of orphaned raccoons. As a 40-year-old wildlife rehabilitation center, Oaken Acres cares for more neo-natal raccoons than all the other licensed rehabilitators in northern Illinois combined. But we can do more. We can change attitudes and save many more lives with a facility on our grounds dedicated to caring for more orphaned and injured baby raccoons.
Raccoons have become a disposable species in Illinois and we want to change that! Most orphaned raccoons come to Oaken Acres due to human interference, and when they are found, rescuers have limited options as there are few centers in the area that accept them. We want to do more, but are limited in space & caging. A facility dedicated to the rearing of orphaned raccoons will help us expand our care while we educate and encourage people to have more compassion for these vulnerable animals.
This facility will provide safe, secure enclosures for orphaned baby raccoons and all supplies and enrichment needed to raise them and get them ready for release back into the wild. We can create more options for rescuers. Giving them a place to bring raccoons in need where they will be properly cared for around the clock by experienced staff members and volunteers. Educating people along the way is critical to Oaken Acres' mission and will help decrease the number of orphaned animals.
Elevating the raccoon as a species deserving of compassion by: educating the public so they don't orphan them needlessly; guiding the public to humane coexistence with wildlife instead of using nuisance trappers or lethal methods; instilling compassion for these little lives and knowing there is a place that cares for the most vulnerable of them; embracing our motto - EVERY LIFE MATTERS! We will work to decrease the number of orphans and change raccoons' status from "disposable" to desirable.
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