A raccoon poisoned with bread soaked in windshield washer is on the mend

CBC.ca
Aug. 29, 2022

Animal cruelty charge laid against resident, City of Vaughan confirmed

The Toronto Wildlife Centre says a young raccoon is getting ready to return to the wild after being poisoned with bread soaked in washer fluid earlier this month. (Toronto Wildlife Centre Twitter photo )
A young raccoon will soon be released back into the world after an incident of animal cruelty in Vaughan earlier this month, according to the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

The centre, which rehabilitates animals in the Greater Toronto Area, recounted in a recent Facebook post how the female raccoon -- which came into its care on Aug. 5 -- was poisoned with bread soaked in windshield washer fluid.

"The individual responsible for this inhumane act has been charged with animal cruelty," the TWC said in its post. In an email, the City of Vaughan confirmed that, "Charges were laid to the resident involved."

The animal was discovered in a trap where it appears the bread was used as bait. The TWC post noted how the creature was vomiting as a result of ingesting the substance at the time of its rescue. TWC says it took a week to flush the poison out of her system.

"Windshield wiper fluid contains methanol, which can cause kidney failure that may not be noticeable right away," the post said.

After closely monitoring the raccoon, the TWC post said a veterinarian determined that there was no permanent damage from ingesting the chemical and the animal is healing.

The raccoon has since been moved to an outdoor enclosure where she is climbing and checking out her surroundings in anticipation of her release, the post noted.