Montreal man fights charges after rescuing baby raccoon ‘Pepper’ that bonded to him - BERITAJA

A Montreal man who rescued an injured raccoon and nursed it backmost to wellness says he is now fighting charges and trying to forestall wildlife authorities from taking the animal.

Louka Berman recovered the seven-month-old raccoon, which he named Pepper, injured astatine a building tract successful May.

He said the animal and its mother had been changeable pinch a crossbow.

“Someone changeable her pinch a crossbow, and they changeable her too. So they thought that they were some dead,” Berman said.

Berman nursed Pepper backmost to wellness pinch the volition of yet returning her to the wild, but the babe raccoon has different ideas.

Attempts to merchandise the raccoon person been unsuccessful, he said, because Pepper will enactment successful the wooded area wherever he leaves her and hold for him to return.

“She’s attached to me,” Berman said pinch a laugh. “And I’m attached to her too.”

After videos of Berman and Pepper went viral, Quebec’s Environment Ministry came looking for the raccoon, accusing him of keeping the animal successful his home.

Authorities did not find Pepper.

In Quebec, a licence is required to person a raccoon astatine home. Berman insists he is not keeping Pepper astatine his residence and says he has alternatively been hiding her successful parks.

“For the past week and still the adjacent week they could conscionable travel astatine anytime to drawback her,” he said.

Berman said he fears wildlife authorities whitethorn euthanize Pepper.

He besides said he is facing an obstruction charge, successful summation to a summons authorities wanted to rumor complete allegations that he was keeping the raccoon astatine home.

Berman plans to spell to tribunal to conflict the charges.

Sophie Gaillard, pinch the Montreal SPCA’s animal defense and ineligible and authorities affairs team, said the circumstances raise questions about whether Berman is legally successful possession of the animal.

“It’s unclear successful this business whether he is really successful possession of the raccoon aliases not — truthful it’s a spot of a blurry line,” Gaillard said.

Pepper’s evident trouble successful returning to the chaotic could beryllium an denotation that the young raccoon has go habituated to people.

“It sounds for illustration a business wherever this animal would request to beryllium rehomed successful a wildlife sanctuary,” Gaillard said.

She said the lawsuit besides points to a broader shortage of accommodation capable to attraction for injured wildlife successful Quebec. Even the SPCA does not person the intends to attraction for specified animals and cannot ever find different statement capable to return them in.

“Every year, we acquisition this rumor wherever we person animals that, unfortunately, we person to euthanize because we can’t find a installation to return them in,” Gaillard said.

An  online fundraiser has now been launched successful Pepper’s name to thief money a wildlife sanctuary.

For now, Berman and Pepper’s supporters are hoping a location could beryllium recovered for the raccoon that would let her to beryllium saved.