Thursday, June 18, 2009

Surrounded By Raccoons

I ended the first part of this story yesterday as six raccoons were running towards me. When I first saw them I had no idea what their intentions were. I only knew that they were very interested in me. I thought they would run away when they saw me, but they only came on faster.

If you haven't seen part one of this story, you can go here to read it: Raccoons

As they were quickly moving closer to me, I noticed that the majority of them were only juvenile raccoons. They were not full grown yet, and they were only about half the size of a full grown raccoon. I watched to see which one was the mother, but I quickly realized she wasn't there.

That was a relief! I didn't want to deal with an angry protective mother raccoon. Raccoons can be very dangerous animals. Probably the most dangerous I've met yet. Their teeth and claws are very sharp, and they like to use them. This could have turned into a very bad situation for me.

raccoonsAs you can see by the first two pictures, they reached me. Before they got to me I could see that they were just curious, so I held my ground and let them come. They got to me and began curiously moving all around me. I liked them immediately! Just look at those cute little faces!

They were staying very close to me. I had the whole crowd of them at my feet. One of them was walking in a circle around my left leg. Two others decided to stand up on my legs a little bit so they could get a better look at me. They were trying to figure out just what I was. They were more curious of me than I was of them.

Make no mistake though, I was very curious about them. I knew this was the best opportunity I've ever had to get closeup pictures of wild animals. I was alternating between trying to focus my camera on them and making sure I got to really look at them with my own two eyes. This was maybe the most amazing experience I've ever had!

raccoonsThe mutual admiration went on for a few minutes until I noticed a straggler. There was one of them that was holding back. It wasn't quite so sure that this new creature they discovered was entirely safe. It was the shyest and probably the smartest of the bunch.

While I was looking at it, the shy little raccoon finally let it's curiosity get the best of it, and it finally joined it's family at my feet. I continued to hold my ground. I wasn't sure what to do now, so I took more pictures while the little raccoons kept walking around me.

Finally I decided that this was enough so I moved my feet a little bit, and the shy one turned and quickly started walking back down the trail from where it came. When the others saw this, they decided that it was best to keep the family together, so the whole group turned and reluctantly followed the other one down the path.

raccoonsI took more pictures as they fled from me down the path. I thought this was the last I would see of my new friends, so I took as many pictures as I could before they disappeared forever. They finally followed the trail around a corner until I couldn't see them anymore.

This was not the end though! I happened to be going in the same direction as these little ones. It probably would have been wiser for me to turn around and use another path to the back of the park, but I honestly thought they would stay away from me now. I thought they were afraid of me now because they decided I was a threat. I was never so wrong before.

If you haven't guessed yet, the story doesn't end here. The next part will be the third and final part. The best stories are all trilogies anyway. It will be the most action packed part of the story. There will be another twist to this story that you might guess from these first two parts. Can you guess what it might be? Don't miss tomorrow's exciting conclusion of my encounter with the raccoons!

16 comments:

  1. Hi ratty, I can't believe how lucky you were to have these little cuties so close to you! Excellent post- I am anxiously waiting for tomorrows. Really lovely and am glad you got such a kick out of it too :)

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  2. Those Raccoons smelled your socks, and thought that was where their mother could be located. I strongly believed.

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  3. Wow..those adorable raccoons had given you an
    incredible adventure, and I must wait for tomorrow to find out..

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  4. they were curious all trying to climb up your pant legs...hehehe

    the mother has to be close by, hope she isn't angry.

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  5. They are cute and the photos of them lingering at your feet with their curiosity are great. What an experience and I can't wait for tomorrow to hear more.

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  6. That was the most incredible story I have ever read...that they wanted to come and see all about you and even came up on your leg!!!?? You were like an Alien and the inhabitents of the planet you landed on wanted to touch you. AMAZING!!
    I bet Mama Raccoon was not far away and is involved in the last part of your story!
    Congratulations on your profound experience, how wonderful!

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  7. that's so cute and scary at the same time!

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  8. Wait a minute, at the top of the blog you say that you're pretending to be a mouse ...

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  9. gosh, they were really scrutinizing you :) smelling you and looking up at you, that must be a once in a lifetime experience. you have very cute photos of them, and you have the proof they were that close to you admiring you, we saw them with your shoes.

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  10. What a great adventure for you Ratty!! How amazing to have all those baby raccoons come up to you like that. They were missing their mommy must be. I bet she showed up though..LOL I'd be a little afraid to be that close to them. I was up in back of our building the other day with two foxes though and they weren't afraid at all but I stayed close to the door.. They are still wild animals and you never know what they might do when they all get together.. It was neat though!! You are so lucky to have that experience!! I'm jealous..Ha!

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  11. So cute Ratty!!! Love how close they got to you! BTW; I have an award for you. Details can be found on my blog.

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  12. I wonder if they wrote about you on their blog??

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  13. You had an opportunity few ever get, just the little ones without mama getting all upset.
    Great story, can't wait for the next installment.
    SQ

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  14. That is just too special! They are so adorable as babies. Now you've got me thinking I should share my baby animal encounter tonight on my blog. Not nearly as special as this though.

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  15. Bemused - I feel really lucky too. I'm glad I got to see these little raccoons.
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    Rainfield - If my socks didn't smell like raccoons before, they did after that.
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    Icy BC - This was the most incredible adventure I've ever had.
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    PJ - I hope she wasn't angry either, and I hope she was somewhere close by.
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    Poetic Shutterbug - Having those raccoons there was one of the most wonderful feelings ever. I was reluctant to put a stop to it.
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    The Retired One - I was like an alien to them at first, but then they began to like me. I hope their mom scolded them good.
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    Fortuitous Faery - Yes, it was very much both of those. The scary part hid beneath the surface though.
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    Lewis and Clark Trail - I am me when I'm looking at nature. On this blog I am always a mouse talking with giants that like to comment on my stories. It's a great thing to happen to a mouse like me.
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    Betchai - I've been telling this story to everyone I meet. And I tell them I have the pictures to prove it. :)
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    Ginnymo - For some odd reason most of the fear left me when I saw that they were not grown. I probably should have been more afraid, but the joy of being so close to them overwhelmed me.
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    Kallen - Thanks for the award! I'll be sure to take a look shortly. Sorry I haven't responded about it sooner, as you can see I'm running very behind here.

    Lin - You know how kids are. I'll bet they were blogging and twittering as soon as I left.
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    DC - I was tempted to take one too.
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    SquirrelQueen - I was surprised the mother didn't show up right away. I probably should have been more careful.
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    Sharkbytes - Definitely share your baby animal encounter. They are all special.

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