‘It was wet. It was filthy. It was aggressive. I said, I’ll take the racoon. But keeping exotic pets is cruel’

Lindsay McKenna of Wildside Exotic Rescue with a rescued wallaby. Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

When Lindsay McKenna went out to buy a piece of furniture from a seller, the last thing she expected was to return with a wild animal.

“Something moved in the garage when I was in there helping the guy lift [the furniture],” she said. “It was a racoon in an incredibly small cage, it could hardly turn around. It was wet. It was filthy. It was skinny, aggressive.”