ADRIENNE BRIGETTE DR_JEWELL GRANT JACI KRISTIN MOLLY NANCY NARRATOR NIKKI VOLUNTEER NANCY Little face! NARRATOR This time on Bandit Patrol. NARRATOR Two raptors rescued. KRISTIN Ooo! Good one. NARRATOR But one flat out refuses to wrangle prey. KRISTIN In the wild you’re gonna have to fight for your food. KRISTIN If they cannot take live prey, they will starve to death. NARRATOR Then, a litter of curious critters. NANCY Are you guys hungry? NARRATOR Turns into tag team rehab. NANCY I think I have the easy job and she thinks she has the easy job. NIKKI Come on, open it. NANCY It’s a win-win. NARRATOR And. BRIGETTE Oh my gosh, what happened to you? NARRATOR A paralyzed skunk fights to regain her footing. BRIGETTE We’re gonna do it. We’re gonna save her. NARRATOR The sun is shining on the waters of Yellow Creek Park in Owensboro, Kentucky. GRANT Which one is it? KRISTIN The lighter colored beak. GRANT Ok. NARRATOR Licensed wildlife rehabilitators Kristin Allen and her son Grant are on a mission to help a not-so lucky duck. GRANT Mom, why are you eating the bread we’re gonna feed the ducks with? KRISTIN It’s good bread. They are not gonna eat this whole thing. Sharing is nice. GRANT Mom! KRISTIN Here you go guys. KRISTIN We get a call about a duck that has fishing line wrapped around it and a hook in its beak. Every time I walk up to the lake, the geese start going honk honk honk honk honk. “It’s that lady in the pink shirt again.” KRISTIN If they would just understand that I’m trying to help them it would just be so much easier. But they don’t understand people. So they talk and I chase. KRISTIN Here you go, guys. Come on. GRANT If it gets close enough just grab it. KRISTIN You gotta do something. Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Alright! GRANT I got him. Here we go. Are you gonna hold him? KRISTIN Yeah. Ok. Aww, bless his little heart. GRANT It looks like it’s swollen. So it’s been in there for a day or two, it looks like. KRISTIN There you go. Now, that should make it easier for you. I know, buddy. GRANT That’s ok buddy. KRISTIN You got it? GRANT Yeah. There’s a little hook on the other side of it. KRISTIN Awwww. GRANT So it’s hard for me to pull it straight out. KRISTIN Can I look at his mouth for a second? GRANT Ah, it’s ok. GRANT I’m guessing somebody was fishing and the duck decided to go get the bait, and it got stuck in his mouth. And the guy just cut the fishing line. So, the duck was stuck with the fishing hook and then got the line wrapped around its leg. KRISTIN Look, you even got sinkers on you, dude. GRANT You wanna hold this down, I’ll get his foot. KRISTIN Yeah. You’re ok, baby. GRANT Just gotta do this and you’re free. KRISTIN Go to your friends. They’re right over there. Go on! Go, go, go! [Kristin laughs] KRISTIN “What did they do to you? Tell me all about it!” Awww, cutest thing ever. KRISTIN It only took about an hour to get this duck, which usually it takes us way longer than that. But to spend one hour of my time to help a duck, that’ll make his life better, it is so worth it. GRANT That wasn’t bad. KRISTIN That was much easier than it usually is. NARRATOR No two animal rescues are ever the same. NIKKI You are the cutest little things ever! NARRATOR And no one knows this better than licensed wildlife rehabilitator Nikki Christian, whose latest arrival, a litter of raccoons, were found orphaned at a nearby farm. NIKKI Hey Jaci. JACI Yeah? NIKKI I need your help babe. Come here and look what we just got in. NIKKI Caring for animals just comes natural to me. It’s what I was born to do. NIKKI My daughter Jaci has the same passion, that same drive that I do. It makes proud to watch how she is with animals. She can understand them even better than I can. NIKKI What is that? Oh it’s a tick. Do me a favor. Just in case there are more. Go get me some alcohol so I can drop him in there. It’s ok. NIKKI Out in the wild, the mom raccoons actually pick the ticks and any other parasites off of the babies. The fact that these raccoons have ticks on them makes me think that the mom was probably gone for a few days. NIKKI Ticks love to hide in between their fingers. Look, there’s one right there. JACI Man, those are tiny. NIKKI Their hands are so sensitive. NARRATOR A raccoon’s forepaw is nearly as sensitive as a human’s hand. NIKKI Ok, babe. We’re almost done. If you don’t mind to please go get wormer medicine for them and then get some electrolytes for me. JACI Nooo, ugh! NIKKI Goodness! NIKKI Any raccoons that come in, I give them dewormer and electrolytes. The de-wormer is to protect them from any worms and parasites they might have. NIKKI Got all kinds of good stuff in there for him. NIKKI The electrolytes help with dehydration from the lack of food and water. NIKKI You don’t want to give them milk right away. You don’t know how long it’s been since they’ve ate. We kind of want to get everything activated and going again. NIKKI Baby raccoons need to be fed every three hours, that means through the night as well. And with my nursing job, I just don’t have the time to do it. So they’re actually gonna go to Nancy for a little while and she’s gonna get them good, fat and sassy and bring them back to me. NIKKI This will just kind of get them by until Nancy can get them. NARRATOR Meanwhile, at the Allen house, Kristin’s daughter and licensed rehabber Adrienne has brought home a new feathered friend. ADRIENNE Mom, we have another barred owl. KRISTIN Let’s see. ADRIENNE It’s smaller than the other one. KRISTIN Come here, baby. Aren’t you excited? So what happened to him, did they say? ADRIENNE They cut down the tree and they fell out of the hole in the tree. KRISTIN A lot of times barred owls make their nests in hollow trees. So probably what happened to this barred owl is that after the tree was cut down, the parents abandoned him and so he was basically left for dead. KRISTIN He feels good. You’re a little bit smaller than Harriet. KRISTIN Lucky for this barred owl, two weeks ago, we got another barred owl that we named Harriet. We’re going to put these two barred owls together in this enclosure that Grant made. It’s basically a hollow tree like just they have in the wild. KRISTIN Ready bud, I’m gonna put you in here, and you get to see your new friend. You’re quite a bit smaller. What’s he doing? Are they looking at each other? ADRIENNE No. KRISTIN I’m putting this Plexiglas between them initially, just to make sure that they’re going to get along. At this age, birds of prey can get aggressive, especially if food is scarce. So it's really important that we provide them with lots of food and that they get to know each other before we actually put them together. KRISTIN Alright, let me get a mouse and see if we can get this guy to eat. NARRATOR Out in the wild, baby barred owls eat rodents and other small mammals, which their parents feed to them in the nest. KRISTIN When I stick my hand in there, I don’t want anyone to see a human hand. They are going to see a little owl puppet instead. ADRIENNE Did he take it? KRISTIN Yep he took it. ADRIENNE Aw. ADRIENNE He’s hungry. KRISTIN He’s hungry. ADRIENNE Do you think you should feed Harriet too so she doesn’t feel left out? KRISTIN Yep. ADRIENNE What do you think we should name the new one? KRISTIN I don’t know, what do you want to name it? ADRIENNE Tubman. KRISTIN So cute. KRISTIN We’re going to keep Harriet and Tubman in this nesting stump until they’re about 5 or 6 weeks old, because that’s about the age that they would fledge the nest. Then, we’re going to take them to Western Kentucky Raptor Center so they can really spread their wings. NARRATOR A hundred miles away in Louisville, Kentucky. BRIGETTE Looking good. Looking good guy! NARRATOR Licensed wildlife rehabber Brigette Williams starts her day by repairing some collision damage on an injured turtle. BRIGETTE This little guy had been run over by a car. His shell is really broke all the way through. This is a fiberglass car repair kit. I bought it at a car repair store. They asked me what kind of car I was repairing. BRIGETTE With wildlife rehabilitating you definitely have to think out of the box, you have to do creative things and just over years of experience you pretty much learn what is gonna work. BRIGETTE He’s not going to have it ingested. This is just going on the shell surface. But this is gonna harden and it’s gonna be essentially just attached to his shell. VOLUNTEER So that piece will stay on forever? BRIGETTE It will. Yup. BRIGETTE Once he’s all done, he’s going to go back in the same spot where he was found. Off the road though. BRIGETTE I remember being a child and finding a turtle and it was the most exciting adventure ever. It doesn’t matter what type of wildlife it is. It deserves a chance at life, turtles included. BRIGETTE Ok, I think we’re good. NARRATOR With the turtle tuned up, Brigette hits the road to rescue another animal who needs her help. BRIGETTE Two little skunks have been wandering about a local nursery. I am in a hurry because one of the employees were only given an hour to find other means of getting rid of these skunks before an animal extractor company comes. BRIGETTE It’s very important for me to get to this nursery before the animal extractor company, because I know the end result is not always life that is offered to these animals. VOLUNTEER We saw them running in line here. Came down through this ditch. BRIGETTE Ok, when was the last, oh, so that goes all the way to that busy road too. VOLUNTEER They think the mama skunk got hit by a car. BRIGETTE Where was the, oh, I think I see one! It’s on the other side of the fence though. It’s in their yard. I might have to go around and ask these people if I can go in their yard. I’m just going to take a look over to see if I see two. BRIGETTE You know what, it is going to be near impossible to get to them over here. They are under a big log pile right now. BRIGETTE I thought this was going to be an easy rescue, but this little baby skunk is proving to be quite difficult to get. I’m gonna have to show a little bit more patience and wait it out. BRIGETTE I think he’s hurt! BRIGETTE Oh my gosh! What happened to you? NARRATOR In Louisville, Kentucky, the orphaned baby skunk wildlife rehabilitator Brigette Williams just rescued is hurt, badly. BRIGETTE Oh gosh, her little back legs are just, ugh. You can see her drag wounds. So she’s been doing this for a little while. BRIGETTE This little girl is in big trouble. She has some open and infected wounds and her little legs are just non-responsive. BRIGETTE She needs some help ASAP. BRIGETTE I’m leaving some instructions with the employees on what to do if they should come upon this other skunk, but for now I have to get this little girl back because she is in bad shape. BRIGETTE Poor little boo. She has some fly eggs by her feet. She has a big glop right here. NARRATOR Fly eggs on a live animal is a bad sign. BRIGETTE I’m trying to get these off quickly. They hatch very soon after the fly lays them. They turn into maggots and they do start burrowing down into her flesh and start eating flesh. BRIGETTE I’m sure the flies thought this little gal is close to dying. I know it’s scary. If I didn’t find her, I’d probably say she would have lasted maybe another day or two and that’s it. BRIGETTE I’m so glad I was able to get this skunk, but she just does not look good. It worries me that she is so unresponsive. I plan on calling a vet and getting her over there right away. NARRATOR As a mother of two, licensed wildlife rehabber Nancy Reynolds is used to taking care of crying babies. NANCY Are you ready to eat? NARRATOR But these baby starlings give a whole new meaning to “round the clock care”. NANCY Baby birds are definitely a full time job. They have to eat every 30 minutes. NANCY It is really important for me to keep up a crazy feeding schedule with these birds, because their metabolism is really high. So they have to eat from daylight till dark. NANCY These little babies were actually found underneath a semi-truck. I guess it had sat for a little while. So the mom had made a nest. Had time to hatch the babies, but they decided to use that truck. And when they come in with that shipment, some ladies that were unloaded the truck heard the babies crying and found the nest under there. NANCY I can’t believe they were actually in this huge truck going down the road, probably on a highway. And those birds didn’t fall out of that nest; they’re still so active and lively. I mean, I don’t know how they made it. NANCY These baby birds are actually going to go to the wildlife sanctuary where they have somebody that specially does birds and has time to do this all day long. NARRATOR With the baby starlings taken care of, it’s time for Nancy to head for Nikki’s house to be a surrogate parent all over again. NANCY Nikki called and said she had some raccoons that she needed some help with. When she gets tiny babies in that need every 2 to 3 hour feedings, she can’t do those because she works a lot. So she give me the smaller babies. Our relationship works beautifully I think I have the easy job and she thinks she has the easy job. So it’s a win-win. NANCY Ooo. NIKKI I know look at that, I mean, seriously. NANCY These raccoon babies are around 3 to 4 weeks old. At this age, they have to grow and get healthy and strong. They need a lot of attention right now. NIKKI I went ahead and gave them wormer for the roundworm. They had all kinds of little ticks in between their little fingers. We got those out. And I just gave them some electrolytes. NIKKI Ugh. Alright, I don’t want to give them up but I’m going to. NANCY You’ll see them again. NIKKI I know. NIKKI Nancy is gonna have her hands full for the next couple of weeks, but when she gets them eating solid food, then I’ll get them back and then teach them the things they need to know to survive in the wild. NIKKI Alright, thanks, I appreciate it very much. I know they are in good hands. NANCY You ready to eat? Are you ready to eat? NARRATOR Once at home, Nancy and her daughter Whitney begin feeding the raccoon kits, a routine they will repeat several times a day for the next few months. NANCY You can’t chew. You have to suck on it. I’m going to hold his little nose just a little bit so he can suck on it when he’s just chewing. NANCY In the beginning getting a baby raccoon to take the bottle is not as easy as it looks. Some of them will bite it and chew on it and it takes a couple of times to get them to eat. NANCY Alright. You feeling better? Did you burp? Hmm? You got your belly full. NANCY With the baby raccoons we always try to burp them just because when they eat out of a bottle, it does get air in your belly. It does that for babies and everybody else. NANCY Alright, Whitney’s got the dirty job today. Are you gonna go potty? Your turn. NANCY She gets to stimulate it use the bathroom. In the wild their mom would lick them and make them go. We’re gonna use baby wipes and make them use the bathroom. NANCY When you get babies in this young, it’s a lot of late nights, and a lot of feedings, a lot of booties to be wiped. There is a whole lot to do. NANCY Alright, let’s trade. NANCY When they are eating on their own, they’re off the bottles, they will be ready to go back to Nikki’s. NANCY No, you’ve had your food. NARRATOR After three weeks of getting to know each other, fledgling barred owls Harriet and Tubman are like two peas in a pod. KRISTIN Are you ready to be with your brother? Or sister? KRISTIN I wasn’t real worried when I removed that Plexiglas because Harriet and Tubman were getting along great. They’re eating well. They’re getting their flight feathers in. They’re getting along just like brothers and sisters. KRISTIN Alright guys, let’s go. KRISTIN They’re ready to go to the Western Kentucky Raptor Center and then the real challenges begin for them. KRISTIN Let’s get these guys in here. GRANT You can just go ahead and open that one. KRISTIN Is it heavy? GRANT I built it for easy transport. KRISTIN That’s good. GRANT Alright. Here you go guys. Come on. Do you want to come out guys? Here you go. KRISTIN They’re gonna climb. Once they start. Look at him. He’s like, “I can climb! I can do this!” GRANT It’s ok. Do you want to come out with your brother? NARRATOR Kristin and Grant have placed a pink band on Harriet’s leg so they’re easier to tell apart. KRISTIN They say, “We’ve never been out anything this big before.” KRISTIN This is a big step for Harriet and Tubman. At this age, they need to be climbing out of their stump, stretching their wings, jumping from perches and getting to be big owls. KRISTIN Look at them, looking around. Birds of prey always looking up to the highest place. Oh! Good one! Good job buddy. Look at him. Where you gonna go now? KRISTIN That’s what they do out in the wild. They climb back up in the tree with their beak and their talons, so that they can get back in the nest. KRISTIN Harriet, you’re doing just what you are supposed to do. I’m very proud of you. KRISTIN Once we get these birds’ wings stronger, their next step is taking live prey. KRISTIN You’re gonna have to get down so we can get out. GRANT Come over on to this branch. This is a good branch for you. C’mon. KRISTIN Harriet and Tubman are actually at a disadvantage not having parents to teach them how to hunt. So they’re going to have to learn how to do it on their own. NARRATOR The orphaned baby skunk rescued at the nursery is in bad shape. NARRATOR Today’s vet visit will tell Brigette just how bad this little skunk’s injuries really are. BRIGETTE When I bring skunks to see Dr. Jewell. DR JEWELL Hey! BRIGETTE Hello! BRIGETTE Just in case our skunk sprays, we have our own special table outside. BRIGETTE Let me tell you about this little girl. DR JEWELL Kay. BRIGETTE She had been orphaned for almost a week. They think they had seen her mom had been hit by a car. She did have some fly eggs and they were on her little feet pads too. DR JEWELL Yeah, yeah. BRIGETTE And I also saw her back legs dragging. DR JEWELL Ok. Can she pee? Cause that’s the biggest question with hind limb paralysis. If they’ve damaged the nerves either for defecation or urination then that’s when we have a lot of trouble. Her bladder feels pretty distended. BRIGETTE Mhm. DR JEWELL Yeah, that bladder, very full. BRIGETTE This little skunk has such a full bladder, which tells me that she probably has not been able to go to the bathroom on her own for quite some time, and that is very concerning to me. DR JEWELL So let’s go in and get X-rays rays and see if we see any fractures or abnormalities in the spine. BRIGETTE I’m really, really hoping that this poor little skunk does just not have a severed spine. If that’s the case, no matter how much I want to help this little girl, there’s nothing that we can do. BRIGETTE What do you think could have caused it? DR JEWELL With an animal that seems to be healthy in every other way that I would think some sort of trauma. Possibly getting clipped by a car if she was out wandering around and just got bumped and not run over. DR JEWELL Everything’s symmetrical; it doesn’t look like anything shifted or out of alignment too badly. DR JEWELL The good news I don’t see any obvious fractures or displacements of bone that might indicate to me a more serious trauma. DR JEWELL We could have just a neurologic injury, which may recover with care. BRIGETTE I like that word. Recover. BRIGETTE Today could have gone either way with the X-ray and the test results. But I feel like all the stars are lining up, it is definitely going in the skunk’s favor. DR JEWELL I think it is worth a shot. BRIGETTE Ok. DR JEWELL If we can manage to keep her bladder expressed. BRIGETTE Empty. Yep. DR JEWELL Our biggest concern is her ability to empty her bowels and her bladder. The nerves in that lower spine can be affected to the point that she cannot do that. So that’s kind of our big issue. DR JEWELL Hopefully things will improve gradually. BRIGETTE Ok. Yup. DR JEWELL And let me know if something has gone wrong. BRIGETTE Ok. BRIGETTE I get a little bit more emotionally attached to the animals that are more of the underdog. This little skunk definitely would be classified as an underdog. I am committed to doing whatever it takes to get this little gal back on her feet again. BRIGETTE We’re gonna do it, we’re gonna save her. NARRATOR At the Western Kentucky Raptor Center, barred owls Harriet and Tubman are mastering their flying skills. GRANT Let’s see how they are doing. KRISTIN Yeah, I can’t wait to see them fly. GRANT Here’s one. Oh, there’s the other one. KRISTIN How are you guys flying, huh? Do it, Tubman! Good job! You guys have grown out of your stump. KRISTIN It is so exciting seeing Harriet and Tubman flying. This is exactly what they’re supposed to be doing at this stage of development. GRANT Pssh, I know. KRISTIN Alright, let’s go. KRISTIN It’s very important that when we get larger owls in as babies that we start them in a small space and we gradually move them into bigger spaces. We don’t want them to stretch their wings too far to begin with. It takes little baby steps. KRISTIN Alright, you ready Tubman? You can hop up here. Show your sister what you can do. GRANT I’m going to put her over here. See where she wants to go. KRISTIN I’m going to give them some time just to get comfortable. Then when I come back, I’m going to bring them some live prey to see how good they are at hunting. KRISTIN Alright guys, I brought you something. Live mice. KRISTIN A lot of people think that it’s cruel to feed live prey to things. But if I don’t give these birds live prey so that they learn how to hunt, they will starve to death. KRISTIN I guess since there are two of you, I need to put two in there, don’t I? Look at them looking at it. There you go. KRISTIN That’s Harriet, she’s thinking about it. There she goes! You’re just not sure what to do, are you? Good job! KRISTIN She’s a little clumsy but she did it. I’m really hoping that Tubman watches his sister and learns from her, kind of like in a family. The big sister teaches little brother the ropes. KRISTIN Tubman is looking at it. He’s thinking about it. Go on Tubman, don’t let her show you up. Tubman, dude, right here! Tubman! KRISTIN Let me try it over here, because Tubman really likes to fly over here. Come on, Tubman. KRISTIN Tubman, you’re still kind of clueless dude! KRISTIN He’s just easily distracted. He can’t focus. KRISTIN I know that Tubman is eventually going to get this. That is the beauty of having two baby barred owls. As long as he keeps watching Harriet, I think that he’ll learn how to do it. NARRATOR At three months old, the orphaned raccoons have grown into curious little troublemakers. NANCY Here babies. Ready to go back to Nikki’s? NARRATOR Ready to leave Nancy’s babying behind and begin survival training. NANCY These little raccoons, it’s amazing to see how fast they grow. NANCY You guys ready to go for a ride today? NANCY It does make you sad because, you know, you put a lot of time and work into them. You kind of bonded with them a little bit. I’m gonna miss them but I’m not gonna miss all the work that goes along with it sometimes. NIKKI I was just finishing up. NIKKI Hi babies. What are you all doing? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. You all have gotten so big. NIKKI These raccoons are juveniles now. This is the time that the mom would be taking them out and showing them all the ropes. But now I kind of have to kick them in the butt and get them more independent and ready for the wild. NIKKI I think we should just let them explore for a little while. And then come back and put some food and water. NANCY They’ll be fine. They just had food before they came. So. NIKKI Ok. NANCY They’re like, “let me out!” NIKKI Come on check it out. There’s all kinds of places to go. NIKKI It’s always fun to see these raccoons explore for the first time. But there’s a few of them that are stuck on their momma like you wouldn’t believe. NANCY Are you gonna get off mama? You need to go play. NIKKI This is why we do this at this stage, they love her, they know that she’s a safe place, but if these raccoons stay too attached to humans, they could not survive out in the wild. Time for some tough Nikki Boot Camp. NARRATOR After a hopeful prognosis from the vet, Brigette is more determined than ever to save her little paralyzed skunk. BRIGETTE Hey Fancy, hold on, hold on, I’ll help. NARRATOR She’s even given her a name, Fancy. BRIGETTE Nerve damage is very tricky. Sometimes it repairs itself pretty quickly and sometimes it can’t be fixed all the way at all. It is too early for me to say what the end result will be. But I’m in it for the long haul with her. BRIGETTE Since she can’t go to the bathroom on her own, I’m just going to squeeze her bladder because she needs to pee. Oh, big yawn! BRIGETTE Anybody that calls me crazy for expressing a skunk’s bladder and bowels, that’s fine, but if we don’t make her go to the bathroom. That could be the difference between her life and her death. BRIGETTE I think she bit her tail. Hey Molly, do you mind giving me a hand over here? BRIGETTE When an animal comes in like Fancy, I have to observe them so much more than I would just a healthy animal coming in. Any slight change in behavior is a red flag that something else could be going on. BRIGETTE You can let her just sit down here. MOLLY Just like this? BRIGETTE Mhm, exactly. I think the feeling is coming back in her tail and she bit it. BRIGETTE Fancy biting her tail is a catch-22, I hate that she bit the tail; however this is a great sign. It means that she is starting to have feeling back in her tail again. MOLLY Do you think she’ll be able to walk? BRIGETTE I would love it if she can have limited mobility, even just to walk for short periods of time. BRIGETTE I really, really want this little skunk to walk again. So, another very important thing that I have to do daily is physical therapy with her. BRIGETTE All I’m gonna do is just push in on her legs a little bit. This helps keep all the muscles working internally not just her legs, but it helps her to be able to go to the bathroom on her own. And of course, we want her to do that independently. I feel a tiny bit of resistance there. They aren’t quite the limp noodles as they used to be. BRIGETTE I’m starting to see some signs of movement on her own. We’re definitely heading in the right direction. BRIGETTE Good job, Fancy! NIKKI Hi Jay. Will you help me fill these eggs, please. NARRATOR At Nikki’s survival boot camp, the orphaned raccoons are about to get their paws dirty. NIKKI I want to see if they can actually open these eggs. I want to see those little hands working and pulling them open. The egg goes in the middle and put a little bit of peanut butter on the edge. I just want to be able to smell the peanut butter. I’m hoping it kind of, you know, entices them to kind of dig and open them up. Let’s hide the eggs and have our own little Easter egg hunt. NIKKI Raccoons, they’re scavengers. In the wild they are gonna have to open nuts; they’re going have to open eggs up. Easter eggs are just a quick, easy way for me to be able to see what they can do. NIKKI Good morning loves! Can you grab that dirt, Jay? I’d appreciate it. You ready to play? If you’ll take a couple of these eggs and put them back there and I’ll take the rest here and pour some dirt on it. I want them to hunt for it just a little bit. NARRATOR By foraging for things like insects, snakes, and even dead rodents, raccoons help clean up the environment. NIKKI Watch their little hands go. Like non-stop. I like the fact that they’re trying to bite some of ’em to open. That’s what he would do out in the wild. Open it, come on. He’s got it open. Good job buddy! NIKKI Open it, come on. Open it. Oh there another one so that’s two! All those little thousands of nerve endings on their fingers. This is what they’re for. Good job, buddy. NIKKI I think they’re all doing a pretty dang good job. They’ve done everything that I need them to do. They need a couple more weeks to grow and then they’ll be out the door. NIKKI They rocked it. They didn’t take long for those little hands to start working and open those eggs to find those awesome treats that I had for them. If they keep on doing all the things I see them doing right now, by the end of summer they’ll be ready to be released. BRIGETTE Hi skunkers! Oh! She has pooped on her own! That’s a huge, huge step for her! Good job, Fancy! BRIGETTE Woohoo! Fancy pooped on her own today! That is such a huge hurdle that she is now over. BRIGETTE We’ll go for swim time. BRIGETTE Now that Fancy has improved, she’s gonna go for a swim. BRIGETTE Water therapy is a really good thing to do for animals that can’t really hold up their own body weight. In the water, all that weight just disappears and allows freedom to move the muscles. BRIGETTE There you go! BRIGETTE Skunks have a natural instinct to do what is similar to a doggy paddle. I’m really not seeing her legs move at all. BRIGETTE Just a little more, just a little more. BRIGETTE I was really hopeful when putting Fancy in the pool, that her legs would automatically move. Unfortunately, I’m not seeing that at all. BRIGETTE I think she’s getting kind of tired. I think she’s done for today. BRIGETTE So, even though she’s able to go to the bathroom now, I’m coming to the reality that Fancy is probably not going to make her way back into the wild. That does make me a little sad. BRIGETTE She’s a good girl. NARRATOR After several failed attempts, barred owl Tubman still can’t seem to catch his own dinner. KRISTIN What are we going to do with him, Harriet? NARRATOR Kristin hopes the move to an even larger space will finally get him hunting like his adopted sister Harriet. KRISTIN Tubman? You got to be able to go with your sister. KRISTIN Taking live prey is the final step that these birds need to take to be released back out in the wild again. KRISTIN Yes, I know Harriet. You’re ready for your food. KRISTIN Harriet has totally mastered hunting. But Tubman just doesn’t get it. So my plan today is putting out several mice. We’ll hope that Harriet catches hers and then Tubman watches and learns. KRISTIN There she goes. KRISTIN Look at him. Are you gonna share? Would you like to just share that mouse with me? Because I’m kind of a lazy hunter. Yeah, just give me that one. KRISTIN She’s not gonna feed you, dude. KRISTIN I don’t know what’s going on with Tubman. He’s watched Harriet do it. He is totally capable of doing it and just not doing it. KRISTIN Alright Harriet, you gotta come with me. KRISTIN I’m thinking if I remove Harriet, Tubman may step up his game. KRISTIN I know. It’s not fair, is it? KRISTIN If Tubman doesn’t take live prey, it not only pushes back his release, but it also pushes back Harriet’s release. KRISTIN In the wild they would have nest mates that they would got out with, so it’s very important, not only to me, but to them that they be released together. KRISTIN Tubman, you ready? Let’s try this. KRISTIN I’m not sure why Tubman is testing my patience so much, but I have to make sure that he can take life prey. I’m running out of options. But his survival depends on it. KRISTIN Alright Tubman, Grant and I are going to talk about this and see what our plan G is with you. NARRATOR An hour and a half away, Brigette has come up with a new way for Fancy to get around. BRIGETTE Just because Fancy can’t walk doesn’t mean that she needs to be confined into a small little cage. I’m going to help her out and make a sweet little chariot for Fancy to use for walking. BRIGETTE This is my very first attempt at making wheels to help her get around just a little bit better. She’s so little right now. Companies just don’t make itty bitty wheelchair carts for these animals. BRIGETTE This is the cutest little shin guard. It belonged to my son when he was three. He’s now 19. I just happened to find these. And I think this would be great to put her little body in if I just attach some wheels on here. BRIGETTE Fancy is a sweet little skunk. She’s a great patient. But I have to say, I’m very curious how she’s going to react. It’s not every day that I try to squish a little baby skunk into a wheelchair. BRIGETTE This all sounds so good in theory. [Laughs] We’ll see if it works. NARRATOR Tubman the barred owl’s inability to hunt live prey has put both his and Harriet’s release in jeopardy. KRISTIN Alright Tubman, you ready? KRISTIN If I’m going to release these two barred owls together, the clock is really ticking for Tubman. I know he’s capable of doing it. He’s watched Harriet do it. He just needs to take the stinking live prey. KRISTIN You have no idea how many times I’ve been out here trying to give him live prey. And he just won’t do it. And I don’t know if he’s intimidated because I’m in here. But I don’t want to release one without the other. GRANT Ok, so we’ll put up these cameras and we’ll leave. KRISTIN And then we can watch from the outside. GRANT Yeah. Hopefully this works. KRISTIN I’m keeping my fingers crossed. GRANT Alright. KRISTIN So it occurred to Grant and I that out in the wild there’s not going to be humans standing there watching a bird take live prey. So we decided to set up cameras and we’ll watch from outside the door. KRISTIN Alright, you have the phones synced up? GRANT Yup. KRISTIN Fancy shmancy. KRISTIN Come on buddy, get it. Oh, look! Look! Alright! Oh. Ok. GRANT He got that one. KRISTIN Yeah. Let’s see if he’s gonna come back and get the second one. KRISTIN Awesome! Alright. GRANT He got both of them. KRISTIN Yeah, he got both of them. He did good. He did good. KRISTIN He knew what to do. He just wasn’t going to do it when I was watching, but little did he know, I was watching him. GRANT This is great news. KRISTIN Yeah, this is awesome. Now, they can go together. NARRATOR Survival school is over for the orphaned raccoons. NIKKI Alright guys. It’s time to go. NARRATOR And graduation day is finally here. NIKKI These raccoons have surpassed every test that I have given them. There is no doubt in my mind they’ll be able to survive and thrive in the wild. NIKKI Come here, monkey. Let go. You’re getting so big. NIKKI I have the perfect location for me to release these guys. We have about 200 acres of our family’s property and it’s about five minutes away from the house. I think these raccoons are going to do amazing. NIKKI Alright, Jay. Grab the dog food. Since you are stronger than I am. NIKKI I do a soft release on all my animals. It’s just the way that I do this. I usually bring some type of dog food. Just so they have a back-up until they find their food source. NIKKI See underneath that log. Underneath there. So find a place over there. It don’t matter what direction, they can still find some food. NIKKI These raccoons are actually going to love these logs. There’s all kinds of little crevices and places they can hide. It’s near the water source, near the woods. So it’s all around perfect for them. NIKKI Hi baby. Alright, I know, I know. Come on out. Jaci, you can go ahead and open that door I think. It’s a new crazy world. Oh new smells. There he goes. NIKKI Being a wildlife rehabber, this is not just a job for me. This is my heart and my soul. I taught these raccoons everything that I could. And the fact that they are where they are now today because of what I’ve done, it makes me feel great. NIKKI Bye guys! NARRATOR It’s a big day for Fancy the skunk. Her wheels are ready and she’s about to take her first test drive. BRIGETTE I made you a cart baby. You can walk with this. BRIGETTE Fancy has come a long way since I first rescued her and she is even more special now because she is the very first skunk ever at Second Chances to have a wheelchair. BRIGETTE There you go. Come on Fancy. Come on baby girl. Here she comes! Come on baby! Yay! BRIGETTE Good girl! She’s going! She’s going! BRIGETTE I’m very pleased with today’s first attempt at her wheels. She doesn’t seem to be struggling. She’s not fighting to get out. I don’t think she’s overly stressed. BRIGETTE There she goes. Good girl. BRIGETTE When she gets a little bit bigger, a little more confident in her wheels, I’ll be able to take her out to show children that might have physical impairments themselves. BRIGETTE I would much prefer to release all the skunks that come into me because they do play an important role in the environment. Fancy’s role is gonna be a little bit different, but every bit as important. She is going to become an educational ambassador. She will go teach children and adults the importance of wildlife. BRIGETTE Come here sweet thing! Good job! Good job! NARRATOR After being under Kristin’s protective wing, barred owls Harriet and Tubman are finally ready to soar. KRISTIN That’s Harriet. Good job! You’re awesome. KRISTIN I’m so proud of Harriet and Tubman. KRISTIN Probably why you’re the goalie on the soccer team, huh? KRISTIN They have mastered every skill that they’re going to need in the wild. They went from climbing to flying to hunting live prey. I have no doubt in my mind that these owls are going to do great in the wild. KRISTIN There goes your pink band. You don’t need this anymore. It doesn’t matter who is who in the wild. KRISTIN Goodbye Western Kentucky Raptor Center, hello big, beautiful world! ADRIENNE I’m sure there are tons of mice out here. KRISTIN Oh yeah. With all these cornfields, soybean fields, they are gonna have more mice and rodents than they can possibly want. KRISTIN There are trees, there are woods. There are open fields. This is the perfect spot to release Harriet and Tubman. KRISTIN On three or on go? GRANT On three, Mom. KRISTIN Oh three, got it. GRANT Ok. One, two, three! KRISTIN Ok. One, two, three! KRISTIN Look at them! Go, go, go, go, go. KRISTIN I try to teach my children that we’re very much doing something good for the world. We’re all part of that beautiful circle of life and what’s important is that we all do our part. Harriet and Tubman are going to do theirs and I’ve done mine.