Raccoons - When I got my license years ago it was still legal to rehabilitate raccoons. Since that time raccoon rabies has swept through New York State and county by county rehabbers were prohibited from handling them due to the risk.
You can now be certified to handle what they call "rabies vector species" but it takes some work, rabies shots and special caging (translates $$$). And then you can wind up rehabbing nothing but raccoons if you're the only one certified in your area.
Raccoons are fun. They take a bottle like a baby and love attention. It's hard to keep them from getting too used to people.
It was hard to let them go not knowing how they'd do out in the wild. This is one animal you don't want to release in your backyard or anywhere near people as they'll become nuisance wildlife with no fear of people and wind up getting shot.
