Animal response team rescues raccoon with fur encased in ice

A racoon rescued from the extreme cold by Simcoe County Emergency Animal Response team. (Simcoe County Emergency Animal Response/Facebook)

A shivering raccoon found in the middle of a field in Wasaga Beach has been taken into care by the Simcoe County Emergency Animal Response team.

The team was alerted of a raccoon by itself in an open field earlier this week when high winds, extreme cold and freezing weather seemed to be all contributing factors to its struggle.

After the initial assessment, the response team found the raccoon’s eyes frozen shut from the blowing snow, its fur encased in ice and signs of frostbite.

The team discovered the raccoon could have possibly wanted to cross the field but became disoriented due to the extreme winter conditions, preventing it from finding its way back to a sheltered area.

The response team rushed the raccoon to a wildlife facility for urgent care and will be closely monitored.

According to the Procyon Wildlife Centre in Beeton, extreme cold can pose as many difficulties for wild animals as it does for humans.

The centre says they have had 51 new animals brought into their care already this year, making it a total of 113 animals at the centre.