‘Feisty’ furless raccoon creates quite the buzz at N.S. wildlife rehab centre
Global News
Staff at Hope for Wildlife rescue centre in Nova Scotia have lovingly named a hairless raccoon Rufus, after the naked mole-rat in the cartoon 'Kim Possible.'
A new animal at a Nova Scotia wildlife rehabilitation centre is raising eyebrows and attracting attention.
To look at her, one might not even know what kind of animal she is.
Rufus is a raccoon, but without the trademark black bandit-like mask and bushy ringed tail, she doesn’t look like one.
“It’s a clear case of alopecia, baldness. We do see it in squirrels and other species. Even humans have it, so it is out there, it’s genetic,” said Hope Swinimer, the founder of Hope for Wildlife rehabilitation centre.
“We do need to see whether we can help this raccoon.”
The centre, located in Seaforth, N.S., took the animal in about a week ago after receiving a call from Cape Breton reporting a rare sight: a bald raccoon.
The veterinary team performed a full medical examination Thursday, putting Rufus under anesthetic to conduct X-rays and to take a closer look at her skin.
“I didn’t find any parasites or any bacterial or fungal infections in her skin. We’re running some bloodwork on her just to check her organ function and her red and white blood cells,” explained Dr. Mikaela Jahncke, veterinarian.
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