About a year ago I wrote some articles about a crippled coon. There was one coon that had a bad leg and walked with a bad limp. I was concerned about him and wondered how he would make out in the wild being handicapped this way. Some of the people who commented on the articles shared this concern.
About the time I got my camera I did not notice the crippled coon any more. I worried about him for a while and as time passed I did not think about him very much.
When I turn on the outside lights it does not seemed to have any effect on the animals that come up. This has always had me wondering. I thought before the light would scare the animals and they would leave.
For a long time I have noticed that a coon, I believe it is always the same one, would leave when I turned the light on. He does not take off running, but just slips away. Since I have been trying to get photos of the animals I never paid much attention when one was leaving. I just quit watching and went back to the TV or book I was reading.
The night before last when this coon started walking away I stayed and watched him. Much to my surprise, and I'll have to admit pleasure, he was walking on three legs. He moved smoothly. It was another surprise that I could hardly notice a limp. It seems that walking on three legs for a long time has enabled him to get use to doing it and he is able to walk with a very small limp.
The reason I said it was a pleasure seeing a coon walking on three legs is my belief that this is the crippled coon I was worried about a year ago. I was glad to see that he is still around and OK.
My guess is that the coon knows that his handicap will make it harder for him to face danger. He would not be able to fight as well if he had to fight and would not be able to run as fast if he needed to get away from danger.
When I got the camera I would always cut on the light and then ease the door open if animals were around I wanted to get a photo of. When I opened the door he considered it a danger and associated the light coming on with the door opening and danger. Thus when the light came on he would leave.
If this is right, the crippled coon has been coming around and I just did not realize it. I have no way of knowing for sure that the coon who for a long time has been leaving when I cut the light on is the crippled coon, but I believe it is. It makes me feel good to know that he has survived and is doing alright.
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 76
;-)
thanks
A gentleman in my neighborhood has a pair of yellow labs; litter mates, one male and one female. The female was born with a birth defect ~ a horribley mangled and disfigured right front leg. The leg was removed completely. But she manages to keep up with her brother when they take their daily walks. She's beautiful, friendly and well on her way to living a life of wrestling with her brother and playing with her loving human parents!
That is good news to hear that the cripple coon lives. He sounds like a pretty smart coon to me.