“I guess this is always his home!” A raccoon keeps coming back to his rescuers three years after they saved his life.
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Three years ago, Nikki Robinson, a zoologist, found a raccoon wandering all alone on the side of a road. She didn’t know what she could do to save the little creature, so she asked for help. Sadly, everyone she called told her to “let nature take its course.” But she knew she had to take care of the raccoon, no matter what they told her.
Speaking with The Dodo, Nikki recalled:
“When you ask what you should do with [an orphaned raccoon], they say, ‘Leave it alone and let nature take its course,’ or ‘You can take it to a vet and they will have to euthanize it.’ That broke my heart. I couldn’t let that happen!”
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The animal lover eventually decided to take the helpless raccoon home.
However, as the zoologist worked full time, she needed help from her mom, Linda, as noted by Newsner. Naturally, Nikki’s mother was reluctant to the idea of taking care of a trash panda at first. But once she got to know the creature, who now goes by the name Little Hands, her hesitancy turned into affection. Nikki commented:
“The first time she bottle-fed him and he looked up at her, she just kind of melted. She treated him very sweetly early on because they like to be touched a lot. So she created a bond with him, even knowing he’d go back to the wild at some point.”
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For a little over two months, Nikki and Linda helped Little Hands get back up on his feet and return to his natural habitat.
It wasn’t easy for the mother-daughter duo to release their furry friend into the wild, but they knew that was where he belongs. However, they were beyond surprised when they saw the raccoon returning to them for snuggles, scratches, and, of course, delicious treats. And they were even more startled when Little Hands’ surprising visits became a pattern.
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Talking to Bored Panda, Nikki said seeing her beloved trash panda coming home was “pure joy,” adding:
“And every time he came back it was a more and more joyous occasion especially because he wanted our attention as well as our food which was all that much more special.”
In the last three years, the cheeky raccoon never misses a chance to visit his rescuers.
The zoologist and her mom have also taken care of several other animals, including other raccoons. Nikki explained:
“I think our total now is over 15 raccoons over 5 years. I’ve also worked with several other animals but none as close as the raccoons. My mom and I would like to open an official wildlife rehabilitation center in the future and I am working on getting more licenses and training for the different species. But in the end, we take the raccoons because no one else will due to their abundance in nature already. Every animal deserves a chance, right?”
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However, none of the other animals they nurtured kept coming back the way Little Hands does. She continued:
“This has gone on for 3 years! All the other releases have gone wild. The ones that were released at Linda’s house will still come and eat at night, sometimes bring their babies too, but they are scared of us and won’t approach us closely. Little Hands is just special and super adorable!
I guess this is always his home. He knows he can come back for an easy meal, but some animals want more than a full stomach. Comfort and love.”