Sorry for the delayed follow-up. Amelia is perfectly fine, by the way, but here’s the rest of the story:

As I was saying… Alison was doing the responsible thing; trying to get information as to the protocol for treating a suspected raccoon bite or scratch. Of course, once the phone call became an official incident report the bureaucratic machinery of the US Department of Agriculture and the NY State Health Department started turning its wheels. By the time the report had passed from one agency to another the story had escalated from ‘mother raccoon defending her babies’ to, ‘rabid raccoon attacks monkey, unprovoked’.

There was talk of the Board of Health conducting a house raid, confiscating Amelia, then putting her down, as the only means of determining whether she had contracted rabies. After several rounds of frantic phone calls, it was finally determined that Amelia could stay with us, but under house arrest. Because of exposure to a potentially rabid raccoon, Amelia was put under official quarantine by the US Dept. of Agriculture and Board of Health.

According to the protocols for quarantine that means that Amelia has to spend six months in a secure facility (our bedroom) in order to determine that she is completely rabies-free. An official from the board of health comes to visit once a month to monitor Amelia’s health (She is fit as a fiddle).

And that’s the tale. Amelia remains under official quarantine until November when we plan to have an out-of-quarantine party and toast Amelia’s good health. As I’ve said, Amelia is perfectly fine. As is the mother raccoon and her three babies who made a temporary home inside my Sneaker Car which is housed in our shed, under the deck. By the end of the summer, they finally left their mobile home for a more permanent abode in the forest.

A happy ending for all.

[NOTE: Picture of Hannah with Amelia taken around 1990.]