Wildlife vs. welfare: The complex case of Springtrap the raccoon

DORENA — A Mississippi County man known for raising and rescuing raccoons shared how his latest rescue was confiscated by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Aaron Wallace of Dorena recalled how he first met the raccoon he named Springtrap nearly nine months ago.

“I had just started attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) here in Sikeston. I got a call from the Jackson, Missouri, police department; they said they had a baby raccoon and it was way too small to turn loose and all the rescues in the area were full. They knew I rescued animals; they asked me if I wanted to see if I could raise it," he explained.

Wallace said someone had caught the raccoon in a live trap in Jackson, and so he decided to raise the raccoon and named him Springtrap.

“When I got him, he didn’t have his eyes open yet and was starving,” Wallace said. “I started feeding him with an eyedropper at first, then moved to a small syringe as he got bigger. At that size, they require feeding every two hours. After a few weeks, it moved to every four hours, and at that point, I could use an actual bottle designed for small animals.”

According to Wallace, he fed Springtrap a multi-species milk replacement formula that is available at any farm store. After three months, Springtrap was big enough to start introducing solid foods.

According to Wallace, he and Springtrap grew very fond of each other. Wallace said he kept Springtrap with him 24/7.

“He became the unofficial mascot at the AA hall and tons of people that work at drive-thrus around town got to know him pretty well,” Wallace said. “He quickly learned which window at McDonald’s was the food window. He was never kept in a cage; he usually slept in the room with me either under the bed, in my sock drawer, or on top of my head, kind of like a cat.”

When game wardens came for the raccoon Feb. 7, Wallace said he put Springtrap in his cat carrier so they had something to take him in that he was familiar with. Springtrap would sleep in the carrier when Wallace was on the road or at a meeting.

According to Wallace, he works from home so Springtrap was usually with him.

“Everyone is saddened that he is gone,” Wallace said. “A lot of people would watch videos of him that I would post on Facebook and TikTok.”

Wallace continued: “A lot of people are afraid that he won’t make it in the wild, but I did spend a lot of time with him outdoors, climbing trees, swimming in the pool, fishing, etc. My plan was always to keep him until the spring.”

According to Wallace, he wanted to release Springtrap in Big Oak Tree State Park in the coming spring because he would have a better chance at surviving.

“I’ve raised quite a few raccoons over the years, and the males always find a girlfriend and go live with them in the woods,” Wallace said.

Wallace said his plan was to release the raccoon in the spring so it would go in the woods and start a family.

“I know the game wardens were just doing what they were told; even though raccoons once lived in the White House, they are not legal to keep in Missouri,” Wallace said. “I live right next to Big Oak Park; that is where I release all the animals that I rescue since there isn't any hunting allowed there and I know there is plenty to eat and water to drink, etc.”

Lt. Brian Shelton, local conservation agent with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said in Missouri, it’s illegal to take in a raccoon as a pet because the animal is wildlife.

“Wildlife is intended to remain wild, and Mother Nature takes care of wildlife,” the agent said.

Shelton said although MDC does regulate wildlife and oversees the harvest of wildlife, as far as retaining living wildlife, there are some expectations that fall under the wildlife code to obtain a wildlife rehab permit.

“We are human beings and we have very kind hearts and we want to take care of things and nurture them; that's who we are as humans,” Shelton said. “But with wildlife, Mother Nature doesn’t work that way.

Shelton continued: “As far as wildlife animals, they don’t spend constant time with their babies like humans do because, No. 1, they don’t want to draw attention to other predators that might want to harm their babies. So, they spend very little time with them, just maybe feeding and that’s about it.”

According to Shelton, when someone takes in wildlife, the animal does not have that wildlife instinct to keep it safe from other predators.

“The person that takes in the animal takes away that natural instinct from that animal,” Shelton said. “When this happens and it gets released back into the wild, we hope that it will survive, but a lot of times it does not. It’s important to understand that the animal was put in that situation by the person that took it, not the conservation agents that released it back to the wild.”

According to Wallace, since Springtrap has been gone he has received many condolences and many people have told him how much Springtrap brightened up their day just by watching videos of him.

“Although he was very sweet and would let anyone pet him, I would always tell people that in the wild they are not usually that nice and not to try to pet one,” Wallace said.

According to Wallace, he wishes the game wardens would have been more understanding.

“I really feel like the game wardens could have let me show them how he was and the plan I had for him,” Wallace said. “I think his chances at surviving would have been greater if released back at Big Oak Park in the spring. I want to see about getting a wildlife rehab permit or something so this doesn’t happen in the future. I believe every animal should get a fighting chance and the people who are helping them survive should be allowed to help.”

According to Shelton, taking in a wildlife animal isn’t rescuing the animal, and that is a big misconception some people make.

"That's not the proper way to go about with dealing with wildlife,” Shelton said. “That is a big misconception from the public because we are heartfelt human beings.

He continued: “We care about everything and want nothing bad to happen. But the fact of the matter is that Mother Nature is not kind and things perish. There is a circle of life, a food chain and a hierarchy in the wild and it’s all part of Mother Nature's plan. When human beings intervene, we disrupt that chain.”