It’s not that often you’ll see a wild animal strolling through town. However, the streets can be a dangerous place where even the toughest can get in trouble. Animals that have become accustomed to the wild can easily run into various dangers.
One day, a man passing through the streets of Hewlett, New York, suddenly heard some strange sounds coming from a storm drain.
He couldn’t have guessed what he would find inside.
Wildlife Rescuers Save The Day
When this man approached the sewer, he saw an adult raccoon near the surface, yelling into the pit below.
Down there, near the bottom, he noticed a fuzzy ball. It was a scared baby raccoon who was trapped and in need of immediate help.
It didn’t take long for this Good Samaritan to seek help as he called the experienced wildlife rescue from Hewlett. When she heard what it was about, Karenlynn Stracher immediately arrived.
She was heartbroken when she saw that little terrified baby down there.
The hole was very deep, and Karen realized that she would not be able to cover this by herself. So, she called in a fellow rescuer, John Debacker, as well as a local emergency service unit.
When everyone was in that place, they quickly got to work.
“John jumped in to make the initial grab,” Stracher said for The Dodo. “I stayed up top to secure it.”
It was not easy at all, considering that the hole was very deep and the baby was so scared, but they succeeded.
Karenlynn filmed this noble endeavor and posted the video on her TikTok profile @wildliferehab_kl.
@wildliferehab_kl https://gofund.me/a50bb5d9 #raccoon #raccoonrescue #babyraccoon #stormdrain #klandjohn #johnandkl #everylifematters #goodsamaritan #animalrescue #animalrescuestory #wildliferescue @johndebacker ♬ original sound – KL the Wildlife Rehabilitator
She Fit Perfectly Into A New Family
Although she was finally rescued from this dark hole, the baby raccoon was very frightened and confused. It’s no wonder, considering that her life turned upside down overnight.
Her mom was gone, and suddenly, there were unknown people around her after spending so much time in that dark hole.
However, she was safe now and quickly realized that these people meant no harm. She soon calmed down and the worried look disappeared from her face.
The rescuers wanted to reunite the baby with her mom, but unfortunately, incoming heavy storms in the area made it impossible to safely do so.
Fortunately, an experienced rescuer like Karenlynn immediately knew the best solution for this raccoon.
Stracher took the raccoon to a licensed rehabber. Again, the unfamiliar surrounding was hard for this little raccoon to cope with at first. But, she quickly adapted and continued her new life with the other rescued raccoons.
“She was integrated into a group of other orphans, who then were raised as a family,” Stracher said.
Ultimately, all of these raccoons were released into the wild. As difficult as it may be for them, they will always have each other.
People Were Overjoyed With Their Venture
This is not the first time that Karenlynn has participated in saving the life of a wild animal. However, when she put this video on TikTok, she caused a barrage of reactions; of course, positive ones.
People were delighted and moved by this brave and noble undertaking, with one user stating: “Heroes!”
Another one wrote: “Thank you!!!! Gosh it’s been so long since I heard that baby raccoon sound. I thought it was a bird when I first heard it”
“No longer cold & wet!! Yay!!🥰🥰👍” a third one added.
Karenlyn’s life story is truly inspirational. She is a retired NYC Paramedic who saved hundreds of lives, but now devoted her life to saving animals.
Surely, this is not the last such rescue operation in which she has participated, but she intends to have at least as many as the number of people she has saved.
And, if you’d like to see more videos like this in the future, a few bucks of donation to Karenlynn Starcher certainly won’t hurt, but for some future baby raccoons in need of help, it could be life-saving.