Brave Raccoon Cub Stays The Night At Fox Den | The Dodo Wild Hearts

When this guy set up cameras in his backyard, he couldn't have guessed he'd catch a raccoon mother dropping off her baby at Fox Den daycare for the night. Now, this tiny raccoon has to figure his way out of this ridiculous situation.
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[@rileydoodlemeister8544]

What a bizarre interaction. It was almost as if mama raccoon wanted the foxes to babysit while she was away.

[@TolaSrrup]

That's what I said. Mama Raccoon just needed some time alone, dropped Junior off at the neighbors and came back to pick up the kid and put him to bed. She should've tipped at least.

[@SFBenjaminK]

I NEVER SEEN any wild animal leave their baby like that & just leave

[@JaneCooper190072]

That's exactly what I was going to comment, lol She dropped the baby off for a few hours at the baby sitters.

[@jjsrt8]

Mom was out getting pregnant again needed a babysitter just drops kids with first animal she sees. He's your problem now...

[@kiarabear1]

Wow, I’m glad it all worked out for that baby raccoon. I had a mama squirrel that would bring her two babies and leave them for an hour or so in a tree right above where I sit outside. I was their babysitter. I had been feeding the mama squirrel for about five years and she would come and sit on my lap and dig in my pockets for walnuts and almonds, she trusted me. I understood that she needed a break. I stayed outside until she came back. So I guess she trained me to be her squirrelly sitter. Hehehe Now my friendly Blue Jay brings a baby every summer to sit in the same tree. I think I’m on a critter baby sitting list. This same Blue Jay also comes and sits on my finger and grabs some food. But I am so amazed that this mommy raccoon trusted these foxes. Great video.

[@ariadnefrolich7243]

Mother Raccoon: Here, watch my kid for a few hours. Foxes: Wait, we don't- Mother Raccoon: Thanks! You're the best! *leaves* Foxes: Wtf just happened?

[@dajuannadechelle]

🤣🤣🤣 The mom Raccoon is a straight gansta for real! And the cub is a real one too. Especially to GO INSIDE the den and be like 'well since I am here might as well get some sleep".

[@wildnfree101]

nice one, lol

[@hillarytrump9146]

Lmao

[@roxyshow123]

That fox will probably post this on Reddit: Entitled Racoons.

[@dezman56ford]

Best explanation yet!

[@bathsheba.b8656]

Maybe it was some kind of weird raccoon initiation ceremony, he's probably chief of a huge clan now.

[@bigunity]

The foxening an ancient ritual where young raccoons go to prove they are ready

[@bathsheba.b8656]

@@bigunity I love that, 'The Ancient Ritual of Foxening.' You can just hear David Attenborough using the term in his beautiful hushed voice while narrating a groundbreaking film on the secret life of Raccoons.

[@MichaelHarto]

@@bigunity please expand the lore, ready for what 😂

[@SFBenjaminK]

I NEVER SEEN any wild animal leave their baby like that without any fight or anything & just leave, i would sue her

[@brendonallen490]

Yes, the mom said "if u can survive till I get back then ur a stud" or something idk that was strange but glad 2c a happy ending

[@laranadesign4764]

"I can't imagine what got into her." Remember that she is a single mom and when you can't bring your kid to work, you leave him/her in a safe place or with a baby sitter. Those grey foxes (different from reds) are not natural predators to raccoons. They were scared for the safety of their own family but not trying to kill. Once they realized the cub wasn't a threat, they were happy to have him/her in the den. Animal moms will sometimes leave a baby with a bigger animal that will act as a protector by size alone to other animals that would be a threat. This is why a doe will leave her fawn in a backyard garden. Having humans around her baby means her natural predator, coyotes, will not get too close.

[@tomaudio7415]

interesting !

[@bayborn510]

And all this time in here thinking she’s a bad mama.

[@0blivvy8]

Yes you explained it so well! "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

[@anaalina5964]

Interesting take on it. Though the baby raccoon was still in danger, if the foxes were stressed out enough, or if both parents were present, then they could've seriously injure the baby. Not kill, but injure.

[@anderssoderlind90]

It's like our red foxes in Europe many people think that foxes hunts cats but when you see how they interact with each other you understand that they benefit from each other. There are lots of videos on YT.

[@allrightsreserved4m1]

Baby Raccoon: "Mama, why are we here?" Mother Raccoon: "You're here to spend some time with your dad and your other family... I'll be back later to pick you up."

[@dajuannadechelle]

🤣🤣🤣 LOL. Sounds about right.

[@ScoobyCubes]

This is exactly how it feels when you’re at the front of the grocery line and your mom abandons you to go grab that one last thing all the way in aisle 1024 in the back and you’re just a stuck like 🥴

[@KiamKweli]

First your Mom does this. Then your wife does it. The difference, at least now you can pay and leave when she's too slow.

[@gauravtejpal8901]

@@KiamKweli Hahaha 😆

[@forevermarked5826]

Haha yes!!

[@EN-mh6sr]

This was riveting and the most unexpected happy ending I've ever seen. This actually stressed me out😂

[@janmay3901]

I jumped a mile at the first snarl

[@adityasailada3398]

Its dodo....has to have a happy ending

[@frankiehumphreyiv5972]

Yes It Was !

[@janmay3901]

@@adityasailada3398 happy from the raccoons perspective, maybe not so happy from the fox's perspective

[@HelloAllie]

Me too! 😆😆🦝🦊🧡🦝🦊💛🦝

[@ellemmenn2930]

It’s like she needed childcare for the evening and thought ‘this’ll do’ 🤣

[@tonireynolds4785]

💙💜 yes I was thinking the same way.

[@noongourfain]

Bad baby sitter is better than none at all? That's why humans hire teenage girls to do it.

[@benjin0311]

That is the Spartan version of Raccon upbringing. To prove he was a worthy warrior member of the Raccoon civilisation of that area, he had to prove himself by fending off foxes for 24 hours and actually going behind enemy lines and surviving. He proved himself that night

[@Brandoncye]

Lol! 😂

[@Crimea_River]

That was also my initial thought!

[@universeconsciouscitizensc592]

Imagine how many weird events happen in the animal world that we never see and could never predict?

[@lakenziesmith1225]

Poor baby had a very stressful night :(

[@mrjapaman2958]

Won't be the last so it's good he get used to it

[@ES11777]

Oh absolutely! But I’m sure it build his character too

[@dailydoseoffunnyvideos9156]

🥺🥺🥺

[@ElaAusDemTal]

He slept for some time, though

[@isisemail2488]

That was a close one. I think 🤔 all the animals were confused.

[@mercedezlucero6792]

Shidddd me too 😩😂

[@lynnrolaf7422]

I love that this person is using his space to film and track the wildlife, and then share it with us. ❤

[@wilfredfred545]

Hey

[@johnsumner2987]

I was just thinking this. Those foxes must come back to that den every year for him to be able to put a camera in there. Very cool though.

[@Brandoncye]

I was thinking the same thing! 😃💖

[@wilfredfred545]

@@Brandoncye hey

[@jamesjames5484]

Hello 👋 how are you doing?

[@nicholas8428]

Why was everyone tripping?? She was just dropping her kid off at the neighbors for a little while so she could get some much needed rest 😴🤣

[@heythanksforcheckinginimst8323]

It’s like when Karen tries to drop her kid off at school on the weekend Cus she has no where else to put him 😂

[@MichaelHarto]

Fox: "Maam, you forgot your son.. your son is here.. OUCH! Maam, he bites! Jesus H Christ, ok imma leave you alone kid.."

[@sleepycate1368]

I can see that happening to people in real life loll

[@jgk381]

Mom Racoon: "ok son, you stay here with Uncle Foxy..." Fox: "GTFOH B*TCH!!!"

[@Wulfahlicious]

Fr XD

[@vincent3060]

It was an initiation ceremony teaching the baby racoon not to be a coward. He passed the test, and now he won't be afraid of digging through human trash cans to fend for himself. She did it when she was younger, and her ancestors before her all passed the initiation ceremony as well. The baby racoon now has the respect of the rest of the tribe.

[@mrjapaman2958]

She was even nicer and came back, normally they should go back by then selfs with the fur of their enemy

[@gyozakeynsianism]

That, or it was an Antoine Fuqua movie.

[@k8h991]

Lol

[@SFBenjaminK]

I NEVER SEEN any wild animal leave their baby like that without any fight or anything & just leave, i would sue her

[@vincent3060]

@@SFBenjaminK it was an initiation ceremony wasn't it? even the fox knew what was actually going on, and he didn't want any trouble, so he stayed out of their way. or the Racoons would declare war on the fox and his Family.

[@piperatthegatesofdawn]

I'm pretty sure the mom knew exactly what she was doing, and knew her baby would be safer with the foxes.

[@markkubiak8296]

Good security with that wily fox on guard. Both of them are extremely intelligent and cautious.

[@JazzyJADAxxx]

Yep , my thoughts exactly

[@0blivvy8]

Absolutely!

[@alwaysyouramanda]

That’s the only way to have your kid make lifelong friends.

[@jamesjames5484]

Hello 👋 how are you doing?

[@cademancaden]

Moms need breaks. Sometimes it's hard to find a sitter.

[@papwithanhatchet902]

Baby raccoon: “I want peanuts for breakfast! I want eggs for breakfast! I want...” Momma raccoon: “Do you want to spend the day with the foxes again? I swear I will just drop you off there!”

[@earlyburg]

Every species has an ecological niche. Foxes eat rodents, and they are adaped for that with very good hearing. Wolves or coyotes might have taken the kit but since the fox does not usually predate against animals that large (there are exceptions to every "rule" and nature has infinite variety but in general), so that was about territory. An adult raccoon can be quite ferocious.

[@dmerls8571]

Yeah I think it would be quite rare for a fox to prey on a young racoon (this one is more than a baby). I've lived among foxes and they have never been a threat to the local cats and toy dogs. They know where their bread is buttered (rodents, worms, berries, birds, and dead fish on the river shore).

[@sharonsmelser2491]

That makes sense. I'm thinking that mama knew that too, lol

[@Bastacat]

@@dmerls8571 Uhm...cats are actually near delicacie. I live in northern europe, our house is located near really old and thick forest that generally is left alone by humans, in past 24 odd years alone we have had around ~9 cats. In fact if not for the fact that it's country side, and as such we have the occasional mouse, we really wouldn't even bother with cats only to find random pieces of fur and small bones here and there after few months/year. And those are your regular european red foxes.

[@melanopygus]

@@Bastacat keep your cats inside

[@nicolestark373]

@@Bastacat unless they were tiny, or pathetic, chances are it wasn’t foxes killing your cats.

[@queenb2646]

Seems like a real life animated movie. If you survive the night with the foxes you shall claim the throne 🤣🤣🤣. Beauty of nature

[@b1njjj95]

LOLLLL

[@jamesjames5484]

Hello 👋 how are you doing?

[@bellejour559]

I love trash pandas! They are so fearless. 💜

[@storyman385]

Rocket: Is that better?

[@tillie3545]

I am actually very curious about what was going on through the mom’s head to do this 😂 but also very surprised that the eldest fox didn’t hurt the baby.

[@ladybugsarah6671]

I would have thought that the baby would have cried for mom and she would have came barreling in to save her kid. But no just leaves the poor thing. Probably why wild raccoons don't live that long in the wild. Incredible story.

[@4968ace]

@@ladybugsarah6671 foxes don’t really predate coons much. raccoon probably lost her den and was busy finding a new spot and couldn’t risk having the baby along. nature is rarely stupid.

[@AzlianaLyana]

Mom : How was your day? Cub : Fought a fox and took his home. Just another Tuesday....💪👍😁

[@gyozakeynsianism]

Cub: Oh and where the hell were you?

[@arealhauntedhouse4171]

Me! Toooo!😥😅👍🏼

[@arealhauntedhouse4171]

@@gyozakeynsianism she must have had a hot date & needed a quick babysitter..👍🏼 You'll do➡🐺 Fox say what😅✌🏼

[@tank100286]

Raccoons are no joke. They will definitely fight if you corner them. My dad's friend learned that the hard way. 😂

[@dad4ever-c90]

I'm not sure if I should interpret this as an initiation, like a kid having to spend the night in a graveyard, or if it is more analogous to a child having a sleepover at a classmates house. Either way, Momma Racoon was way too trusting and Momma Fox did NOT approve.

[@spamachuchan8824]

It was actually "papa fox" that was not happy and guarding the pups (at least the voice over didn't specify when/if mama fox did come back that night). Either way you are correct in the fox was not pleased by being forced to watch the racoon baby 🤣🤣🤣

[@BuffaloNickel9]

Papa Fox that was, although like the commenter said above, your point is valid

[@spamachuchan8824]

I'm just here with a similar thought to others "oh, look! Mama racoon is having papa fox babysit!" 🤣🤣

[@wilfredfred545]

Hey

[@jamesjames5484]

Hello 👋 how are you doing

[@SOGYB]

Raccoon Mom: "Couldn't find a babysitter Thanks see u later on" 🤣🤣🤣

[@rebekahdavis5935]

It's like some sort of raccoon vision quest. He's got to spend most of the night alone in a fox den. He completed the test.

[@one7decimal2eight]

Reminds me of the story of Daniel being cast into a den of lions and surviving until morning.

[@one7decimal2eight]

@@james82159 a fable you say? Perhaps you can tell God that when you stand before him.

[@one7decimal2eight]

weather don't feel bad for me. I got myself right with God. The worst words you will ever hear are...depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Pray you never hear them. Because by then, it will be too late for you.

[@UnassimilatedRG]

@@james82159 it's very rude and disrespectful to insult someone's religious beliefs unnecessarily. And anyway, if they are wrong they have lost nothing, if you are wrong, you've lost everything!

[@one7decimal2eight]

@@james82159 we do not judge a religion based on what the individuals who claim to represent it do and say. We judge based on the teachings. Christ never did anything unholy or violent. But whatever. You do you thing. I'll do mine. Notice it's always those who are against that resort to insults. When those that follow do not. You say it's a fable, but if you actually did some digging you would quickly find that when Christ was crucified the world went dark just like the scriptures say and also was recorded by many civilizations from around the world. The world went dark for 3 hours where it became night in the middle of the day. That's 1. You dig for the rest if you wish. And if not, like someone said...if I'm wrong, which I am not, I lose nothing. If you're wrong, eternity is a long time to be wrong.

[@lizziemiss945]

weather everything in the universe is make believe, except for God

[@JKaiserable]

Raccoons are actually from Sparta, this was to ensure the baby was worthy.

[@teresa1107]

Raccoons are pretty tough and scrappy! That is the real reason the parents of the foxes took off.

[@donnatocco8399]

Go Sparty...🏈🏈

[@GreyDevil]

Well that was some extreme hazing, glad the pup lived

[@anthonychihuahua]

I could make a funny joke or something, but this STILL has me baffled!?! Very interesting, indeed! 🤔🦊♥️

[@TheKeystoneChannel]

Raccoon thought: That's it, I'm done with the divisions in the world 😂

[@tbascoebuzz4782]

Good grief. That literally gave me chills, lol.

[@wilfredfred545]

Hey

[@jamesjames5484]

Hello 👋 how are you doing?

[@jaguarjake8226]

Awww he is a very brave raccoon😻, He is also very cute🥰, Animals are the cutest most amazing creatures ever and deserve love, happiness and more🐶🐱🐻🦊🐯

[@ES11777]

I watched the original video a while ago. I was just as taken aback as I am now rewatching this on the dodo. I love all Texas Backyard Wildlife videos, most of them show bizarre and amazing situations like this! The animal kingdom is fascinating.

[@tonysams7261]

Best part of my day is watching these video clips! Thank you!!!!!

[@CashanovaXTREME]

That baby raccoon was so smart to go up high and away from the level the male fox was at, that was a really intelligent thing to do. It made it harder for him to come at him, and with less bite force since he has to angle himself upwards to do it.

[@eastwind6820]

Great trail cam images! The clarity and detail is amazing!

[@psychologymajorptsd62]

Mom: alright Jonnie, this is your training for today. See you tomorrow! Baby: ‘eye of the tiger’ Foxes: This is too good to be true… *IT’S A TRAP!* “Ze next morning…” Momma: “Let’s go kid! I found some badgers over here!”

[@ladybugsarah6671]

That was unbelievable wasn't it? Wow

[@donnadicasa]

I'd say she had a raccoon emergency, needed a sitter in a hurry, saw a parent and said watch my kid. And he did, because he's a parent.

[@christinebuckingham8369]

Wow, that was actually amazing to witness. Cool video! So happy the baby raccoon was safe!

[@mayaashanti4955]

This literally made my heart melt 💘

[@alcolumbo4460]

I enjoy watching The Dodo Channel. Every episode shows a gracious person caring for an animal in need. But in this episode my heart was pounding. It was as if I was watching a horror/suspenseful movie. I was at the edge of my seat. Whoo!!! I'm glad it ended well.

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

Fox just confused like "is anybody gonna tell them...?"

[@rosylee5683]

Well done editing with a story. very well done thank you!

[@bathsheba.b8656]

It has been wonderful to read all the comments so thank you to everyone for contributing and making me laugh, and an even bigger thank you to The Dodo for bringing such heartwarming tales of the animal kingdom to our screens and to all the animals, domesticated and wild who bring a few minutes of joy and wonder, every time The Dodo drop a new video. Be happy and well everyone.

[@galacticcactus5530]

What gorgeous coloring in the foxes!

[@themessengacross1581]

I like how you tell the story as we are watching the video... Thanks, God Bless you All

[@TehFeelz243]

Love your comments guys!!! Made my day!

[@andreafernandezdonati3299]

I love that one. I think that was amazing and I love it. How that Mommy takes care of the baby in the end.

[@observerobserver6040]

My stomach was so tensed watching this. Glad it had an interesting happy ending. Narrator was amazing adding natural tension and happiness.😊❤👍🇬🇧

[@simons5704]

Oh I get it, she needed a babysitter for a few hours, LOL!!!

[@jeffrobinson1199]

Mother Nature never ceases to amaze.

[@tomanderson848]

Excellent network of cameras you have set up!

[@AlexAndra-iy5zu]

I guess the raccoon needed a babysitter so she could go out and work ♥️♥️

[@wilfredfred545]

Hey

[@jamesjames5484]

Hello 👋 how are you doing

[@NasiPadangAmpera]

Mother of the year right there

[@sharonrenedavenport8995]

This Was Totally WILD 😜 !! Can’t Believe How Fast 🦝 Got In 🦊’s Face !!! 😂🤣

[@ZERO_O7X]

What an absolutely beautiful fox and an amazing story caught on camera.♥️

[@bruskydu]

This is somewhat hilarious. Mom went somewhere the entire day then when the night comes, knew where to pick up her lil pup.

[@whitexchina]

"Hi neighbors, that's my son. I quite had enough of him this week. I'll go out to drink now. See ya later!"

[@Jen0212]

She just needed a babysitter for a few hours. Haha

[@kaffeemusic4695]

Aww I love the Dodo always brightens my day 😍

[@wilfredfred545]

Hey

[@jamesjames5484]

Hello 👋 how are you doing

[@hkhenson]

Decades ago I had a pet coatimundi, They are raccoon relatives. Mine mostly lived outside and used to play with the dog next door till the backyard was all footprints. Many years later I saw a video (Marty Stoffer?) where a raccoon and a fox played exactly the same way. Even more impressive (and well known) is that badgers and coyotes form long-term hunting partnerships.

[@Cechil55]

She went on a date and left her baby with the strangers.

[@forevermarked5826]

Aww cute raccoons AND foxes?!?!? You cant get any more cuter then this!!! I love both these animals so.much

[@sandybell3369]

Wow! Poor baby raccoon, though they can be quite agressive. Great catch, great video

[@ladybugsarah6671]

Wow just Wow.. that's really a good video you caught there. Amazing what animals do. Best video I've seen of the wild in a long time.

[@linkincsar269]

Mama raccoon still showed better parenting skills then most humans.

[@the.one.777]

It was just a test! 🤣. Much love n respect from the city of angels Cali

[@isoldam]

I've never seen or heard of a fox preying on Raccoon kits. Mom knew her kit would not be in danger from the foxes. She caged some free babysitting from papa fox, much to his displeasure. He's probably thinking 'can you believe those Raccons?'.

[@oscardean6351]

The Fox thought no I’m not gonna make it easy for you you had it you’ll have to bring it up you’ve made your bed type thing 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂✌️

[@debbieschultz9768]

I absolutely love happy endings!!!!! ❤️❤️

[@shivampatil6104]

Shes like let me leave you to Mr. Fox's daycare honey .

[@gabriellakaterina6782]

Such a crazy racoon story!!! So cute and nobody got hurt!!! Yay~

[@Theanimalfarm077]

This gave me anxiety aha- i was like. MOM why the heck did you leave the baby i- but the end was cute aha

[@sherylrae]

The fox is like damn I’m not a babysitter

[@wendicarpenter5635]

Absolutely amazing bravo loved this..

[@amandawashington4239]

My dog was sprayed by a skunk, and now My house is stinking. But I'll be brave, like the little raccoon, and just hide my nose for a week.

[@pathfinderwellcare]

Very interesting. Glad everyone was safe.

[@kimcat3767]

Mom said... Here, watch my baby while I go play some slots at the casino all day! 😆

[@TrueCrimeQueen]

Very brave little one!

[@svirdi422]

Wat a mystery but awesome. Nature still never fails to amaze us.

[@laureblau1241]

Wildlife is so fascinating !!

[@blackdragoncyrus]

Mother dropping child off at the local daycare, it seems.

[@Alice-fr1ef]

All will be just fine. They are like that with each other and they will live together until Mom comes back.

[@clouduchiha1310]

The mom basically went like "Alright son time to prove you can survive like a Cooper see you later"

[@jamesjames5484]

Hello 👋 how are you doing?

[@b1njjj95]

Momma raccoon must have needed a serious break if she was bold enough to pull this stunt. But I guess she knew deep down that the foxes wouldn't view her kit as a threat since it's still so young. It's just funny seeing these bizarre inter-special interactions. Raccoons really act like they own the place. Even the kit wasn't that scared of the father fox. 🤣

[@bobogigio9072]

This is WAY better than any reality TV show.

[@JohnSmith-fj5ee]

They can all get along better then we can.

[@victoriaegan6476]

That mama racoon was carrying her baby up to where she thought was a safe place. Little did she know what she would encounter. Why oh why did mama leave her baby? She finally does come back and takes her baby with her. The most adorable clip in this video was the fox pups sleeping with the baby racoon -- AWE.

[@markc6102]

Nature. Gotta Love It!!

[@mohammadal-drees3106]

‘And that my little angel is how you survive danger…’ says the negligent mom to her baby.

[@weissrw1]

I live in a wooded residential area with deer everywhere. While it's not the same, momma deer leave their tiny fawns for hours at a time in people's shrubs right up against our homes. Many of us used to think there might be a problem, but now there's a growing consensus that the momma deer just think they're leaving the little ones in a safe place (i.e., we don't see predator animals that want to walk right up to our homes in the middle of the day).

[@4july99]

That is so bizarre! Love it 🥰

[@eviehanks6660]

The mom raccoons like” Rita stoped by so you could watch my young’n. Got some errands to run. Kay thanks bye “🤣

[@psingh007]

That fox is gorgeous