As the founder of Gates Wildlife Control, a humane, family-run business based in Ontario, Canada, Brad Gates is always ready to help an animal in need.
In 2023, Gates learned that a family of raccoons were nesting in a garage at a business worksite. He
quickly raced to the scene with his daughter, Cassandra, to help.
The father-daughter pair found the mama and babies nestled in a stack of plastic coils. As soon as the mama saw the rescuers, she scurried into the rafters, leaving her kits behind.
Brad and Cassandra disassembled the coils and removed the babies from within. They held the little raccoons up to the mom in the rafters, attempting to coax her down, showing her that they meant no harm.
They placed one baby in an open space, then backed away, giving the mom a chance to return.
The plan worked. The mother raccoon nervously slunk down from the rafters and grabbed her baby by the scruff of his neck. Then she ran toward the nearby woods, ducking under a fence, to safety.
Rescuers secured the remaining three kits and placed them in a wildlife release box so their mom could find them. They set up a camera near the box and watched as the dedicated mama returned for the rest of her family.
Thanks to Brad and Cassandra, all the raccoons were together again, enjoying a much safer home in the wild.
