Raccoons may enjoy rubbish, but they shouldn’t actually be dumped.

The animal at the core of this story should have understood the lesson by now.

Credit: FLICKR/MICHAEL GIL
A worried resident of Gibsons, British Columbia, noticed something in her yard one morning last week that she couldn’t ignore. A raccoon in trouble was there, hunched up and looked motionless.

She phoned the Gibsons Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, a rescue organization managed by Irene Davy and her husband Clint, out of concern that the animal had been hurt. Soon, help arrived.

Irene told The Dodo, “We believed he could have been struck by a car.” “Clint went to see how he was. The raccoon could open its eyes, but the man found him laying unconscious and unable to rise or walk.

Clint took the raccoon to the Sechelt Animal Hospital because he thought he could have had a significant spine damage.

Believing the raccoon may have suffered a serious spinal injury, Clint transported him to the Sechelt Animal Hospital. But after an examination, vets came to a surprising conclusion: The raccoon wasn’t injured. He was stoned.

Credit: FLICKR/MICHAEL GIL
Sure enough, marijuana and benzodiazepines, a class of pharmaceuticals that includes Xanax-like anxiety pills, had tested positive in testing.

“He was in good shape. Just a little drugged up, “Irene remarked. “We have no way of knowing how he acquired the medications, but dogs have been known to pick up objects when out for walks. Someone may have thrown out a pot biscuit or muffin. Who knows?”

Fortunately, the procedure was rather simple even though this was the first time the rescue center had to deal with a drug-impaired wild animal.

Credit: FLICKR/MICHAEL GIL
Given the increasing popularity of edible forms of marijuana, cases of accidental ingestion by pets at home have been on the rise. But exposure to improperly discarded drugs by wildlife is a danger not often considered — though the consequences could be deadly.

“For that raccoon, it’s lucky he ended up in someone’s backyard. Had he wandered onto the highway, he could have been hit by a vehicle. He could have been attacked by a predator. He could have been open to any kind of injury, since he was not able to move,” Irene said.

“People who care about wildlife, who happen to use drugs, should be careful about how they dispose of them. I know it’s kind of funny to say that you’ve had a raccoon high on marijuana, but in the scheme of things, it’s not funny to think that wildlife could be harmed.”