DENVER, CO (KCNC/CNN) - After 19 years on the job, it's getting a little easier for Denver Animal Protection Field Officer Lorraine Pacheco to resist taking home every stray.
"Had to be told to not bring anything else home," Pacheco said.
The job is enough for her. Her goal is to protect, "and help as many as possible."
Lorraine thought she had seen it all until last week.
A call from the post office had her at a loss for words. A baby ferret had been mailed in a cardboard box.
"I was like, ‘You have a what,’" Pacheco said of her initial reaction.
Pacheco had never heard of anything like this happening.
Before postal workers could help the ferret, they had to catch her. She escaped from her box.
"You could see the little chew marks. She only needed a hole," Pacheco explained.
She was dehydrated and scared. But after a few days, she started to act like a normal ferret.
The staff fell in love. She didn't come with a name, so they dubbed her FedEx.
It's easier than saying United States Postal Service.
FedEx isn't up for adoption at this point.
"She's going to be living with us until the investigation is over," Pacheco said.
Police are looking into how and why this happened.
In the meantime, Pacheco has a message for pet owners: "Please don't ship live animals through the post office."
Investigators say the package containing the ferret came from Fort Morgan, CO, and they know who likely mailed the animal.
Police are now considering whether charges should be filed.
Copyright 2018 KCNC via CNN. All rights reserved.
