The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA) rescued a female raccoon last week that had been dangling from underneath an onramp on Highway 92 where the freeway connects 101 in San Mateo.
The incident unfolded on Wednesday, May 6, when a member of the public called the PHS/SPCA about the raccoon in distress. Rescue staff were at the scene within minutes to help the raccoon to safety. The California Highway Patrol stopped traffic on the onramp to allow PHS/SCPA staff to reach over the side of the freeway with specialized equipment to rescue the raccoon.
“The raccoon was in an extremely precarious situation and her only options were to fall from the high above the ground onramp to the ground below or attempt to survive in the oncoming traffic,” said Buffy Martin-Tarbox, Communications Manager at PHS/SPCA. “Either option would have potentially ended in tragedy for the animal.”
The raccoon was taken to the Wildlife Care Center for evaluation and was released back into the wild with a clean bill of health — and in a safe distance away from the highway.
“Hopefully she has learned her lesson and will stay far away from any onramps but rescuing wildlife as we increasingly encroach on natural habitat is a very predictable and at times very challenging part of our work,” said Tarbox.
This raccoon is just one of more than 400 animals PHS/SCPA has helped since San Mateo County instituted the shelter-in-place order.
Photo credit: PHS/SCPA
