The Masked Bandit

We've always felt relatively safe living out in the country.  It's a slower pace, away from the hustle and bustle of commerce.  Twenty five years ago it was even more rural, but now more and more people have moved out to the country which has increased traffic.  It's not quite as quiet as it used to be.  We know all of our neighbors and keep an eye on things for each other.  It's an informal neighborhood watch you might say.

Crime, apart from a few very rare events over the past two and a half decades, has been virtually non-existent.  That doesn't mean that we don't keep our guard up and remain vigilant.  In fact, just yesterday afternoon, I caught a masked bandit in our back yard.  He was lurking around by our BBQ pit and swing area looking for something to steal.  I quickly apprehended him securely and notified the authorities.

I may be embellishing the story a bit, so let me rephrase.  I caught a baby raccoon yesterday afternoon.  It was all by himself.  I'm thinking he may have fallen out of a tree.  He was a cute little fellow, and I picked him up and brought him into the kitchen to show Tricia.  

Tricia's response: "Kyle!  That is a wild animal.  Get him out of my kitchen right now!  He's probably carrying rabies."  

Kyle's response: "I thought you might want to bottle feed him?"

Tricia was not amenable to this proposal.  I took the little guy back outside and put him where I found him.  I've found from experience in the past with cottontail rabbits and other wild creatures, that it is best to leave them in the wild.

Besides, Tricia reminded me, raccoons kill chickens.  They are #2 on the list behind dogs, of the most prolific killers of chickens.  After our experience with mink, we don't need yet another predator massacring our flock.  Why would we raise an orphan wild animal only to have to end up killing him for doing what raccoons do?  I put him right back outside where I found him.

We will not allow masked bandits around our home - not the two-legged kind, nor the four-legged.  Wouldn't you know it, this morning he was gone.  I hope he moves a long way away...