Wildlife: Heidi Chronicles: Spring Fling 11, 1 by DreamOfSpring

DreamOfSpring wrote:
I did get a quick photo of Bast last night. I had been wanting to show you how good she looks now and also show you her scar. By the time I ran back for the camera she was almost finished eating. Whereas any other time she would have been eating up close to me and facing me, once I got the camera she insisted on eating over there (actually only 2ft away.small patio) where she was partially blocked by the bucket. Moments after I got this one picture, she left for the night, so this is it, but at least I got a picture.

Note how 'normal' she looks now. This is why I didn't even notice her at 1st when she returned this year. She looked just like everybody else. It was only when I looked at her face that I thought, "Wow. that raccoon sure looks a lot like Bast." Even then I actually thought it might be Bast or it might be a daughter of Bast since she did have kits last year. It was only after seeing the scar on her hip and the leg that isn't quite right that I knew it really was Bast herself. She looks so normal now.

Look how she has 'plumped up' and filled out nicely since her injury and how nice her coat looks now compared to that dry, straw-like fur she had a few years back.

Also note the scar on her hip. It's difficult to see in this photo, but the circle is actually an upside down semi-circle with some random scar tissue below it. In addition to the circular scar there is also a semi-circle scar below it, like a smiley face. This is just a scar now, no open wounds, no swelling or drainage, just a place where the fur hasn't grown back. The two semi-circles, top and bottom, really look like a bite mark when viewed up close.