It's been a year now since I last posted here, a very busy year indeed. We survived a forest fire, I became VP of a wildlife rehab non-profit, and many injured and orphaned animals have made their way through my care and back into the wild. I did have one animal who was not releasable. Yogibear the raccoon was, from the moment I got him, 'slow'. He was slow to hit his basic developmental milestones - slow to walk, slow to climb... and he never reached the level of skill needed to survive in the wild. So, after trying everything I knew and consulting with other rehabbers, I decided to keep Yogi as an educational animal. All was well until last week, when I went on vacation and left him in the care of a housesitter, a person who was educated in wildlife care and management and even works at a local wildlife center. However, because Yogi was so tame and sweet-tempered, she let her attention wander one day and he ran away, into the woods behind my house. I panicked, sent frantic emails to neighbors - and my entire neighborhood mobilized to rescue my baby. After two days, Yogi showed up at a neighbor's house, hungry and lonely, and was brought safely home. Yogi made this video to thank everyone.