Skip to content
Sign In Subscribe
Environment

Mississippi Wildlife Rescue Runs ‘Boot Camp’ For Orphaned Raccoons

The goal is to teach them skills they would normally develop from their mothers in the wild.

,   and  TIPP Staff
2 min read
A raccoon boot camp in Mississippi teaches abandoned kits survival skills. Pic via(@CTVNews)

A wildlife rescue in Pass Christian, Mississippi, is giving orphaned raccoon kits an unusual education in wilderness survival.

Woodside Wildlife Rescue, founded in 2019 by former merchant mariner Paula Woodside, has cared for 76 animals so far this year along with other native wildlife.

💡
Staff members use a drill-sergeant-style approach to prepare the young raccoons for life outside captivity. The kits practice climbing trees when they hear danger calls, digging for food and catching prey in shallow pools.

The goal is to teach them skills they would normally develop from their mothers in the wild.

After about six months of rehabilitation, the raccoons take part in a playful graduation ceremony featuring a roll call and Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” before being released onto the rescue property.

Director Raquel Priest said releasing the animals can feel like watching children leave home, but the ultimate goal is to see them return to the wild and thrive as the naturally curious and mischievous animals they are meant to be.

Related Tweet:

Also Read:

Watch: Meet Tigrino, The World’s Newest Cat Species Makes Its Debut In Bolivia
Scientists have formally named and described Leopardus tilcayo marking the first time in over a century that a new living cat species has been identified.
tippinsightsTIPP Staff

Comments

Related

Latest