On the 20th floor of a downtown Seattle building Friday, the Greer family gave their last testimony in their months-long battle to bring home their pet raccoon, Mae.
"I just want her home," Kellie Greer cried.
Kellie and her husband, Chris Greer, were camping with Mae in Eastern Washington last year when they crossed paths with a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officer. They camped for many years with the raccoon, whom they'd rescued seven years ago. They say they'd never heard concern from WDFW in the past, but this particular officer asked if they had a permit.
A week later, an officer showed up at the West Seattle house to seize Mae. WDFW took Mae to a wildlife rehab center in Quilcene where she is currently living. The Greers are suing WDFW to have her returned home.
Raccoons are not allowed to be cared for as a pet in Washington.
The Greers say their intent was never to keep Mae when they found her as a newborn at a nearby park. They believe her mother was hit by a car and feared she wouldn't survive on her own. They've testified that they tried to find a wildlife rehab to take Mae but none would, including Sarvey in Arlington and PAWS in Lynnwood.
The couple says they had no choice but to care for Mae or let her die. Eventually, they say, they found a wildlife rehab on Vashon Island named Wolftown. That rehab allowed them to become sub-permittees, but it eventually went out of business and the permit went with it, according to the Greers. They continued raising the raccoon, having invested significant time already into her care, including the construction of an outdoor enclosure with a pond and hammock.
According to the Greers, multiple interactions with law enforcement never produced concern. Sometimes, officers even took selfies with Mae.
"We don't understand why you want her back now," Chris said to WDFW's attorney.
Veterinary records show Mae was obese and had a broken tooth. The state believes Mae belongs in a wildlife rehab for the safety of other animals and humans, calling raccoons disease-carriers as well as potentially violent.
The hearing officer, Mark Ebbeson, does not plan to give a decision on Friday. He says he will take his time and release his decision in writing at a later date.
After KING 5 published this story, Sarvey Wild Care Center issued a statement:
"Our facility has taken in orphaned and injured wildlife patients for over 37 years, and during 2010 our center was running an ambulance service picking up animals in need of care from all over the sound. At that time, we were working with several area vet clinics that were used as drop off locations for patients. Our ambulance would make daily runs to areas on the eastside and south sound picking up and transporting patients back to our facility in Arlington. We frequently also made rescue trips and made ever effort to take in animals needing care and treatment. ....
(We) never stopped accepting raccoons. We even have records showing many more orphaned raccoons still coming into our center in July and August. Therefore, we believe we never refused this patient for care. It is completely counter to our entire mission. Our records also clearly indicate that we were not at full capacity for caring for raccoons at that time, so it would make no sense that we would turn away an animal in need. Our WDFW permits allow for us to have 50 orphaned raccoons at our facility for rehabilitation.
We are sorry that Mae was not able to receive the rehabilitative care she needed back in 2010, but our facility is not responsible for that failure. Pairing her with new “siblings” would have been a critical part of her growth and development, and it is tragic that did not occur. We remain committed to caring for the thousands of wildlife species brought to us for rehabilitation each year. "
