Aww' He's so cute! NOT!!!!!

Well, I used to think racoons were some of the cutest creatures that God had created. I loved their little masks that gave the appearance of bandits. I also thought the rings on their tails were somehow just adorable. The way they seemed to wash their hands had always intrigued me and I never really minded that much when on a camping trip they raided the cooler and made off with the next day's meals. That was then....

Now, They are not cute, they are not adorable they are hunters as well as scavengers.

The racoon in question attempted and finally succeeding in capturing 1 of my birds. Precious a cute little blue and white budgie was living peacefully on the screened porch as close to nature as a caged bird can. His life was cut short by a masked bandit and his friends were traumatized as well. I know that it is in an animals nature to survive anyway it can, and it must have been extremely hungry because even after we bolted the door at 1:30 Am, the racoon returned and ripped the screens out. I don't believe the racoon was vicious although my birds might see it differently, I think that he was just opportunistic. He saw a food supply and was determined to extinguish it. By 5 AM, the remaining birds were moved into the safety of the house. They are so traumatized that one of my blue quaker parrots, who used to talk incessantly, hasn't spoken a word in days. The others although subdued are now responding to me, but not Geebee. Geebee remains silent I miss the sound of her voice asking "what doin?" even though she had a habit of repeating it until she got the answer she wanted.

Since the birds have been banished to the indoor world, the racoon as returned twice. I guess he is wondering what happened to his free lunch. There is a place in this world for all of God's creatures, and I don't begrudge the racoon his, but my screened in locked porch at 1, 3 or 5 AM is not it.

All Things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
( From and old Anglican hymn)