The tale of the brave raccoon cub

[@michaelcrockis7679]

Recognize my mom's upbringing techniques. She probably added while leaving: 'You can play with those two young gentlemen. They seem nice.'

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

And you survived to adulthood? Phew!

[@stlouisix3]

'A Mother's Love. There is no love like your mummy's love.' lol

[@catsara9114]

This was so well filmed / edited and narrated! I was on the edge of my seat! What a brave little raccoon, indeed :)

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, CatSara. We couldn't rescue the baby - we couldn't get into the den - and it was a really frightening day. But then the next morning we saw that the little raccoon had escaped and we were overjoyed. Clever little one.

[@joyceyang6976]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife it was amazing, loved it, thank you for sharing the story with us! 👍😃

[@turbo.panther]

What an intense story! That little one will be either in therapy for the rest of its life because its mum tried to feed it to the foxes, or it will be the toughest and most daring of all raccoons. Either way, its story will go down in the annals of raccoon history.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Exactly. We have no idea what the mama was thinking. She had already rescued one of the babies and taken it off to join its siblings, but then when she came back to pick up this little one she took it into the fox den. It was inexplicable. She must have been quite mad. That the adult fox didn't kill the baby is equally inexplicable. When we realized the next morning that the baby had escaped and been reunited with its mother we were truly overjoyed. The happiest day of 2020.

[@merveilleuxetmagique]

​@@TexasBackyardWildlife Dear Sir, i've watched your vid again, and am still in awe! Nobody would have bought such a scenario for a fictional movie! This is one of the best ever films I've watched, or maybe we have witnessed a miracle !

[@stlouisix3]

As a Catholic, I can tell you that what we witnessed was truly a Divinely Providential miracle@@merveilleuxetmagique

[@dorfsteen]

Reminds me of my mother. she got a life insurance policy on me when I was 7 years old. I cashed the insurance policy for 1200 bucks. She got threatened by a doctor that if I come in for stitches one more time she's going to jail. oh and she tried to abort me when she was 6 months pregnant,😢 my father told me that before he died and I asked my mother if it was true. she said well your father was f****** some other woman. I was like wow you didn't even try to lie you evil b****. what a wonderful woman.Not! I escaped the fox.

[@Melmin447]

Love your narrations and the footage is great! So glad this baby racoon survived the fox den daycare debacle, and that mom came to her senses and found her baby. :) The little guy was rather smart to wait till all were asleep to go back to the first place mom tried to leave him at, in hopes she would find him there. Subbed and looking forward to more interesting stories!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you! Re. the baby raccoon: Can you believe it? We were so sure the day was going to end in tragedy and yet it didn't. When we pieced together the whole story by looking at all the different videos the next day we opened champagne. Smart, smart critter.

[@wildnfree101]

That's what you call tough love. Next time she tells him or her they are moving to a new den, he/she will keep up with the rest of the siblings and not wonder off.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Maybe. But 2 of her babies got left behind that morning and only one got dumped in foxy daycare. I bet you're right though and that little cub never dawdled again when it was time to go home.

[@ashsuri1289]

you didnt watch the video? the mother left the baby there.

[@braveneikonic2231]

Ist den recommendation. Momma raccoon: It would be best if you stay here. Baby: It looks so lonesome. Momma: Oh, it's company you want?

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Cute! What she should have done was take the baby to wherever she had stashed her 4 other little ones. She must have been drunk. She raised them all to adulthood, but this was a close call.

[@braveneikonic2231]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife You are doing good work! Peace!

[@ehsansabaghian5617]

What an intense but beautiful story. I just found this channel and I can't stop watching.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, Ehsan! The day this all happened was one of the most frightening in recent memory. We could see what the mama raccoon had done, and we knew foxes were using the den, but we couldn't get in to rescue the baby. We were helpless and just had to sit and hope for the best. The next morning, when we pieced it all together and could see that the baby had escaped and been reunited with her mama, we were overjoyed.

[@susiearioli2042]

Wow....these narrations and footage are great! Thanks!!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

This is one of our favorite stories. We were desperately worried about the little raccoon and had no way to rescue it. It was a terrible day, really. We opened champagne the next morning when we realized she was safe and back with her mama. Clever critter!

[@BirdSongsFromAroundTheWorld]

Wow. This is an incredible footage. Thank you for narrating what went on that day. It was very emotional to see such things happen in lives of animals. We would never know unless we watch them or study their behavior.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It was an extremely nerve-wracking day. We felt so helpless. We were astonished that the baby raccoon survived.

[@huesophie299]

I just found this channel yesterday, already watched so many videos on here and learned so many new things from your commentary. I'm gonna use this channel with my children to teach them about nature! Thank you! :)

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Brilliant! That's exactly what we want. If your children would like to watch a mama bird on a nest, show them the live stream: texasbackyardwildlife.com/live-stream/. It's a black-crested titmouse sitting on 6 eggs. They should hatch any day now.

[@doifhg]

Just remember, if there's a bunch of people that want to eat you, you walk into their home and sleep in their living room until night time then get the hekk out of there

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Apparently that's true. It worked for this little raccoon, anyway.

[@Rhacman]

The closer you are to danger, the further you are from harm!

[@Rhacman]

"Oh, there you are! You know, I was thinking about this morning and I think that daycare I dropped you off at might have been a den of ravenous foxes."

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Yes, I think that's exactly what mama raccoon said when she was reunited with her little one.

[@TheFineLine920]

Oh my goodness!!! Best video I’ve seen on KZbin! You are a great story teller and this was a great one! It’s late at night, I’m laying down watching videos and stroll upon this gem! Laughing, listening & watching! Poor lil raccoon… stood his ground though. And that MaMa… she needs parenting classes! Your video made my night. Especially after watching all the wrong in this world right now. Thanks! I needed this! 🎉🎉🎉❤🎉🎉🎉

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It's such an amazing story, isn't it? Almost impossible to believe that a baby raccoon could survive a day in a fox den and have the smarts to then sneak out after dark. The mama definitely needs parenting classes. What was she thinking??

[@callimero2010]

Not easy,when Mummy is little bit crazy.

[@merveilleuxetmagique]

Thank you once again TBW for this unique and wonderful vid. I will never ever get tired of this footage, and still think it's one of the best, amazing, stunning vids on YT. I don't know much about wildlife and "backyard" animals, but your film demonstrates that "eat or be eaten", "kill or be killed", "be either prey or predator", "instinctive behavior" does not always apply. Nature is, from my point of view, much more subtle than that. That's one of the reasons I so LOVE your film here, and of course, your storytelling. Have a nice day, I love your channel, greetings from France

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It really is so great to hear from you @merveilleuxetmagique! We completely agree with you - all of these animals and situations are far more complex than we humans (typically) realize. Living around the wildlife, as we do, we get to appreciate the different personalities of these critters - each is unique and we have learned that most of the time we have no idea what's going on. PS - Greetings back from across the channel. We are in London catching up with friends. The raccoons have probably moved into our kitchen and are helping themselves to peanuts and glasses of wine.

[@merveilleuxetmagique]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife I wish you have a great time in London with your friends. I think "your" raccoons are wiser than we humans, they won't drink alcohol lol!

[@feralbluee]

you have such a great camera set up! thank you so much. it’s so great to be able to see this footage. what an amazing little pup. also, the foxes seemed to be really totally flummoxed by the little raccoon. was it maybe a learning experience? LOL :) 🦊🦝

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It was such a scary day. I told Dan not to tell me what was happening because I couldn't bear it. We couldn't get in to rescue the pup and it seemed impossible that she would survive. But she did! We pieced it all together from all the different cameras the next morning. Oh happy day!

[@merveilleuxetmagique]

Honestly, TBW, I've watched your film time and again, and am still AMAZED! I think your video is one of the best ever (and I've watched many +++ on YT), I don't think Hollywood could imagine such a scenario without being mocked at! And here is real life happening, WOW! THANK YOU SO MUCH, just for this film, I Love You!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you so much, M&M. We honestly still don't believe this story ourselves. We KNEW the baby raccoon would be killed, and we were terrified for her, but she toughed it out and survived. Why the foxes let her live is a mystery.

[@jimmystrange1]

My Calico cat had just had a litter of 5,& then my pet racoon came in the window,& proceede to clean each kitten till drenched...Momma never even woke up...Your work is greatly appreciated!!!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Awwww. What a story! That's lovely. We would love to have a pet raccoon. The wild ones here sometimes sit out on the deck with us in the evening and they are funny and very sweet - and very gentle with us.

[@randyduncan4004]

Where in Texas is this amazing yard?? I'm in San Antonio and it's amazing how much animal life I see in this city in parks, trails, just off trails, glorious nature.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We live in southwest Austin, Randy. It's amazing what you see when you put some cameras out.

[@judycook4314]

This was a nail-biter for sure! Great narration and I’m glad no one was hurt.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, Judy. It was a nerve-wracking day.

[@joellepeters5016]

That's a tough mama, you don't want to listen to what I tell you then you can spend the day with the foxes and if you make it back I'm sure you listen to mama racoon going forward lol.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Maybe that was it. We kind of decided she must have been drunk. It was an awful, awful mistake.

[@pegbracey4718]

Unreal!!! 💕

[@merveilleuxetmagique]

Wow, what an incredible film you've made there! Captivating! You're a very good storyteller, than you for this thriller! Those raccoons and foxes are amazing! I would really very much like to know what was in this mom's mind, never thought this scene possible, raccoon mom dropping her baby in a fox's den, wow!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We have absolutely no idea what the mama was thinking. She had already rescued one of the little ones she'd left behind that morning. Why on earth did she drop this little one in a fox den? It never made any sense. She was so obviously pleased to be reunited with the baby in the end. Very strange. It was a scary day.

[@merveilleuxetmagique]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife Your idea of a daycare center was very funny! Many thanks again for this (litterally) fantastic footage!

[@catsara9114]

Watching this for the third or fourth time ... Nature can be weird 😭😄 I bet the tale of the little brave racoon and his crazy mom will be told amongst racoons for all generations to come lol

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Yes, the little one probably gathers her friends around from time to time and regales them with the story of the day she survived the foxes.

[@marina3934]

Same here… although I wasn’t too surprised that the raccoon cub survived, from my own observations of gray foxes on my property, they seem to be usually “nice” animals. I’ve seen birds/squirrels get really close to a fox, or even multiple foxes, and leave without a scratch! Texas Backyard Wildlife also has a video where a titmouse jumps onto a fox and plucks fur from it, gets out unharmed and with a beakful of fur!

[@Youneverknow222]

THIS was a great story. LOVE this channel

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you. It was a very frightening day - we couldn't rescue the raccoon baby without digging out the den - but it all had a happy ending, thankfully.

[@EcoEarthNut]

That's an amazing story and that your cameras documented it so well. I have trail cam videos of a momma raccoon trying to drown one of her pups in a very aggressive way. I wonder if there's a bit of "you're too much to take care of so I'm going to off you" kind of behavior?

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Well. That's an interesting question. We've watched the raccoons for years and never seen a mama be aggressive toward a little one. But it's bound to happen - humans do it too, right? This baby had strayed behind the rest of the family that morning and perhaps the mama was annoyed, but she went searching for the cub later that night and was clearly pleased to find it. Changed her mind, perhaps? We thought it was bizarre behavior.

[@Ryan-zv3os]

I cant get enough of your vid, so interesting.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, Ryan. This is one of our favorite stories. We were so afraid for the baby raccoon, and she survived! We opened champagne to celebrate.

[@jjburns8762]

WOW GREAT NARRATION AND PATIENCE FOR ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF THIS. GREAT JOB !

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you! No patience required - it was all filmed on motion-activated security cameras. We saw some of it live, and were terrified for the raccoon, but all the later events we pieced together from recordings the next day. We were very relieved.

[@Austin.Kilgore]

Wow I can’t believe it survived… and man, I’ve been checking out a few of your videos for this last 20-30 minutes and you seem to have quite a bit of interesting/entertaining footage. So just wanted to say you’ve really done an excellent job with all the trail cams and their placements that you’ve got setup and with the narration you add to it all too!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you! We actually use wired-in security cameras to capture the footage. We have about 50 or 60 of them scattered around our 5 acres - underground, up in trees, inside nesting boxes, and monitoring all the trails. We are fascinated by what we see. Every day is interesting, and every now and then we witness the unfolding of a true drama.

[@TheDkeeler]

As my avian vet said to me "Sometimes birds don't do what's in it's best interest." Looks like you can include raccoons . As for the fox, maybe it could see the raccoon pup wasn't a threat and was a bit amused by it all. Also maybe the fox family wasn't all that hungry at the time.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

A very interesting thought from your vet friend, Dave. We may have to quote him/her. That seems to be what happened here - it was an aberration, and certainly not in the baby raccoon's best interests. Or the mama's.

[@Objective-Observer]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife This started as normal activity for the mama raccoon. In the Concho Valley, Raccoons can be a bit dense, or simply brazen. Now that I think about it: Raccoons are the animal version of a Karen. Entitled and just clueless enough, to hide that 'clever as a fox.' She took the kit to a new spot, but then had to abandon it, to protect the rest of her litter. She came back to see if he survived; followed his scent trail to the alternate hollow tree. As to the kit crawling into a corner of the den and just staying there: that's what happens in my own back yard. The Cats are gobsmacked that someone could be so brazen to just walk up and take their food. The cats just sit there, when the kits do it, and they back off when the 20-30 pound parents push their way in.

[@xvdd1]

That was the sassy pup that needed teaching a lesson.

[@NoReplyAsset]

mother raccoon be like "you don't want to go into the log? ok, time to sacrifice you to the foxes."

[@mnjraman]

Excellent narration!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, Raman!

[@n1352-m1i]

what a tale of trust and education... a lesson of life I suppose. Thank you for sharing !

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We were so relieved that it had a happy ending.

[@bluejijiikemen5537]

It's a valuable documentary. I was worried about what would happen, but I was relieved at the peaceful farewell. Your videos are always fresh and fun. I am enjoying your video in order from the beginning. Thank you very much.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

I've been seeing all your comments. Thank you so much for your support and for telling us that you're enjoying the videos. This video about the little raccoon tells a story of a very frightening day - we felt very helpless - but it had a happy ending.

[@Danrower]

Great job filming, and narration!

[@ayokay123]

Fantastic narration!!!!!!!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you!

[@richarddefour5220]

Nice tale, thank you for telling.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thankfully, it had a happy ending. We were so worried.

[@ninapearman]

What an extraordinary channel you have, this was as perplexing as it was fascinating. Mystifying footage, wow, so glad it ended well.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Isn't this an astonishing story? We have no idea what mama was thinking. The baby survived, thank god, but no thanks to mama!

[@fastm3980]

This is why I subscribed to your channel. Your voice also should be in for wildlife movies 👀 good stuff 🤗..

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you! Dan doesn't really like his own voice and is surprised that people tolerate it, let alone liking it. I always read him comments like yours. It makes him very happy!

[@stlouisix3]

This was a remarkable story. I wish I could give that brave raccoon cub a massive trophy and a gold medal because he certainly deserves them!!!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We utterly, totally agree. That little raccoon was the most resourceful creature we've ever seen. And forgiving, too - s/he didn't growl at mama when she showed up at the hollow log to collect him.

[@stlouisix3]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife, good observation. I noticed that he was very forgiving too.

[@sierrachoco5271]

What an amazing video!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It was a scary day, but amazingly, the little raccoon survived. We were so happy we nearly opened champagne. Clever little critter!

[@Hallands.]

I’ve seen this with a leopard mom as well. Mama raccoon deliberately punished the little one for not going into the hollow stub by placing it in danger. That’s evident by her literally carrying it to the foxes den and also how the pup knew to seek out the hollow stub when it finally got out. The leopard mom I mentioned couldn’t get her two pups to climb the tree where she wanted to put them while she went hunting. They kept goofing around and playing, so she just left, leaving them on the ground and they didn’t seem to care. They survived the day hiding in some brush under a single tree without branches and were relieved when they saw mom return, but she scared them by not acknowledging their calls. She pretended not to know them so convincingly that they went into defensive positions, growling, as she approached further, looking everywhere but directly at them. Only when she was a yard away did she acknowledge them, and they ran whimpering and apologetic to her. Do not disobey mama! 😂 Fabulous footage imo! 👍🏼

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Wow! What a story! We're honestly baffled by this event - the mama raccoon wasn't keeping her family in the hollow log at that time, and the cub hadn't refused to go in there. This little one got left behind on the roof and then when mama came to collect it, she took it into the fox den. We've never seen anything but loving behavior and angelic patience from the raccoon mamas, so it really never made sense to us. The baby raccoon was very lucky to survive. Foxes will happily eat baby raccoons and we don't know why the papa fox let this little one live.

[@Hallands.]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife It probably wasn't left behind so much as it hung back, perhaps because it had been playing with the fox pups when the parents were out. That might also explain why the raccoon pup thought it safer in the foxes den with his playmates? The one with the leopard was narrated by Attenborough and was a BBC production. It might still be somewhere on YT.

[@BlueberryGirl723]

What a clever little baby the mama had. So smart it dawdled along checking things out, so curious. Then it didn’t want to stay where mama put it. So frustrating for mama, though, and I guess she had just had enough, and sent the little one to boot camp day care with the foxes. Clever enough to survive it, and smart enough to find its way back to the prior hollowed log mama had tried to leave it to begin with, just hoping mama would come back to find it, and she did. I can imagine it was a tense time for you viewing all of this unfold. That little baby is definitely a survivor, and stories around the raccoon family circle are likely still told about it to this very day. Sweet to know it survived. Thank you for sharing this, Texas.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It was a very nerve-wracking day. I told Dan to please not tell me what was happening, but I knew it would end in tragedy and we couldn't get into the den to rescue the little one. And then it sneaked out! That baby raccoon definitely is still talking about the time she survived a day in a fox den.

[@BlueberryGirl723]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife You know she is still telling about it. When the babies fuss she tells them things could be worse. Grams could plop them in a fox den to learn appreciation. Lol. So glad she made it. Tough little gal. Take care, Texas!

[@fubarlife7776]

Can't agree more, your narrations are fantastic, thank you 👍 for the good clean fun 👍

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you! We appreciate that!

[@donaldpedigo296]

... CRAZY-GOOD ... ABSOLUTELY "AWESOME" TO WITNESS .. THANK YOU ...!!!!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It was bizarre and quite frightening. We saw some of this happen live, but on remote security cameras and there was nothing we could do to rescue the baby raccoon. Fortunately, she was a tough little cookie and she rescued herself.

[@beatewester4777]

Just INCREDIBLE - the situation but especially that you found them and have made that great video. Sensational and professional, that's for sure. To see your videos is a gift. Thank you sooo much. Best wishes & all the best.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, Beate! This was one lucky little raccoon. It was a scary day of worry, but it all worked out in the end.

[@beatewester4777]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife 💖

[@LowsonIntl]

Wow. It is truly a miracle the raccoon cub survived! Protection from the angels, certainly not the mother. This cub was so brave. Hope this mother never does such a thing ever again - her cub might not be so lucky next time. Well filmed and documented. Difficult to watch but glad there was a happy ending.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We totally agree. It was such a strange thing to do, and mama raccoons are usually the sweetest and most attentive mothers in the world. She reared all 5 of her cubs to adulthood, but this was a very close call.

[@amiwho3464]

What an amazing story!

[@exnihilo2601]

Of all your videos this is my favorite... so far. Hilarious narration.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We (and the baby raccoon) we so lucky it turned out well. It was so close to a tragedy. Thank you for your kind comment - I love this video because it has such a surprising happy ending.

[@Regina-mz9ju]

Good story! Thanks

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you very much.

[@evillabrador1]

Found your channel because of bbc wild dogs documentary. Great video have subscribed

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you! We're happy to have you as a new subscriber. Working with the BBC was fun, and - of course - a great privilege.

[@RowdyRory]

It is amazing. Raccoon young are "kits". Adult females are "sows" and adult males are "boars". Notice that similar terms are used for adult bears. Coons are like little bears. A 20 lbs.. coon can generally whip a 50 lbs. dog, so coons are tough! That adult coon could destroy an adult fox and the coon kit could probably handle a pair of fox pups, and be more trouble than an adult fox would want to deal with after it attains a certain age.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, Rory. The raccoons are pretty tough, that's true, though we honestly only see their friendly/curious side in our backyard. The foxes and raccoons get along pretty well almost all the time here. We have seen an adult fox take a baby raccoon from a den when the mama was out, but if the mama had been around it would never have happened. We deliberately went with "cubs" for the babies, instead of "kits" because we worried that people might not be familiar with "kits". We call the baby foxes "pups", which is definitely wrong, for the same reason. We're going to switch the foxes to kits here on out.

[@RowdyRory]

Texas Backyard Wildlife I've since seen some of your other vids. Just love them. So thanks. Keep 'em coming. What kind of camera gear do you use? Great shots. I stink at photography, but I appreciate your vids because I know how difficult it is to do it well. Subscribed.

[@matthewr.33]

lol she's just like here, eat it. it's a hassle to take care of

[@praburammadhan2618]

Nice video with story.... I like it.... The fox's family was already in there... that's why he was upset..... dosen't recoone usually sleeps up in a tree top? Plus, they always sleep during day time.. ...but this mom racoone going where?.... To see her boy friend?...🤔🤔🤔

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We don't know what the mama raccoon was thinking, Praburam. It was a very strange and very frightening event - but it turned out OK in the end. The mama raccoon had 5 cubs and they were living in a den somewhere - they were too little to sleep up in a tree. It was early morning, and the raccoons were heading home to sleep for the day. You're right that they are nocturnal.

[@vidviewer100]

great story, well told and funny thank you from Australia

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you! Much appreciated, and greetings to you from Austin, TX.

[@tdelphia1]

Talk about a tough vision quest experience!

[@TheOutdoorSeeker]

Very nice story. Well done!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you.

[@browns4872]

Wow very good footage👍👍👍👍👍

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you. It was a lucky series of catches on a bunch of different cameras. And a very, very lucky day (ultimately) for the little raccoon.

[@definitelynotatroll246]

This needs to go viral it’s brilliant

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you! It is a surprising story, isn't it? We were so relieved the next day when we realized the little raccoon had survived. It was one of our happiest days, after one of our most anxious days.

[@Rose24681]

I think the Mom knows that particular fox family and there was an understanding between the parents that the Fox Dad would let Baby Raccoon stay there for the day. The foxes, skunks and raccoons around my home hang out together sometimes and all know each other. Fox Dad and Fox Baby perhaps growled at Baby Raccoon warning he needed to behave while his Mama was away and go inside like she indicated (instead of climb on top like Baby Raccoon did). I think species often cooperate in order to survive. PS) I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Y'ALLS VIDEOS❣️

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

That's what we like to think, too. The skunks, foxes and raccoons here get along pretty well, even though they're all temperamentally very different. The foxes are quite shy, the skunks are bossy, and the raccoons are like little furry bulldozers.

[@Rose24681]

Such a geat explanation of their temperaments ❤️🦝🦊🦨

[@dorfsteen]

A lot of times animals will adopt orphan animals and sometimes not even of the same breed, one of my cats became friendly with a wild skunk, she'd go out on the porch and sit the skunk would come up to her and they would sniff noses and there was no big deal she wouldn't even Flinch would just be sitting there like she would sit there at any time la la la meow. they must have known each other very well.😊❤

[@scottspencer6899]

Racoon daycare.😂🦝🦊

[@FairyBoots]

Raccoon daycare lol yeah just go play with the foxes for a while lol!! Just found you on a UK BBC wildlife tv show and was amazed to find you off grey foxes so easily but you don’t have loads of views :( brilliant filming and amazing place where you call home! Xx

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We just heard from people in the livestream chat that the program had aired. We're really looking forward to being able to see it ourselves. Thank you for your kind words. We like to think our channel is a bit of a hidden gem (but of course, everyone likes to think that!).

[@nubidubi23]

This little guy is gonna be in therapy for the rest of his life

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Yes. Quite likely. Mama should have been in therapy before she did this.

[@justayoutuber1906]

That is crazy. Great camera placement!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you. Crazy is exactly what it was. We still find it hard to believe the baby raccoon survived.

[@cristianfuentes6164]

Great video! So dramatic

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It was a scary day. But the little raccoon was a tough cookie and he/she made it back to mama. We really do think this was a brave and very smart raccoon.

[@christopherbellore3511]

Absolutely incredible!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Wasn't it, Christopher? That was such a level-headed little raccoon pup. We were so happy to see that she survived.

[@peterjongsma2779]

Are foxes native to America or introduced?

[@timl.b.2095]

Native. That's a gray fox. Many people are more familiar with the red fox.

[@EatSimpleFoods]

Our hearts were thumping the whole video!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Dan and I will never be able to figure out what the mama raccoon was thinking, or why the papa fox didn't kill the baby raccoon. It's a complete mystery. it was a horribly nerve-wracking day. We couldn't get into the den to rescue the baby, and we just knew there was no way she could survive. But she did. It was a miracle, really.

[@EatSimpleFoods]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife I can't imagine watching that live! It's pretty incredible. It made me think that I need to access my own inner baby raccoon more!

[@dorfsteen]

​@@TexasBackyardWildlifeshe was trying to cash in the life insurance policy she had on him😂

[@andreasvedeler80]

An amazing little nature doc. Puts the ones on TV to shame

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you Andreas. It was very frightening at the time - we couldn't get into the den to rescue the baby raccoon and we were desperately worried. But it all had a happy ending, to our astonishment.

[@andreasvedeler80]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife Yes, I imagine that must have been very hard. Good thing it worked out though! I hope the kit wasn't badly injured

[@Walking_Ears]

Strange that the adult fox just gave up on stopping the baby raccoon after a while. I wonder if maybe he realized it was helpless and wanted to give the baby foxes a chance to practice defending themselves against it

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Maybe. It's a total mystery to us.

[@harrietking8768]

That was amazing....... super stressful! But amazing

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It was one of the most anxious days of my entire life. We couldn't rescue the baby raccoon - we couldn't get into the den - and we couldn't believe the foxes wouldn't kill it. But it survived!! It was such a clever little thing.

[@harrietking8768]

Absolutely amazing!!! I love the resilience of nature...... but oh boy! It was so stressful to watch! Thank you for your reply

[@marina3934]

A few years ago when there were foxes in my backyard, squirrels would run into the foxes den (or this little hollow in a tree where the foxes would squeeze into) or directly run up to the foxes themselves for whatever reason. The foxes were actually pretty chill about it and never attacked them luckily. Small birds would jump around the younger foxes as well and stayed alive. It’s lucky the foxes were either tired or just really patient 💀

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Well, that's just fascinating. Thank you for telling us your story. Really surprising that a hungry fox parent wouldn't kill a squirrel - and yet we saw the same thing with this baby raccoon. We know foxes eat little raccoons - we once saw a fox pick up a raccoon kit in a den we had a camera in. It's astonishing that the foxes wouldn't go after a squirrel or a bird. And astonishing also that the squirrels and birds seemed to know they were safe.

[@vivalabad6]

Wow! That just goes to show you animals are not just some blood-thirsty beasts, I really wonder what these foxes were thinking. Mom raccoon must have had enough, or maybe just an inexperienced mother 🤣

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We have absolutely no idea what was going on here. Every bit of it was astonishing. Why did the mama raccoon, having already picked up one of her mislaid babies and put it safely with the rest of her brood, drop this little one in a fox den? And why didn't the foxes eat it? They will eat baby raccoons if they can, and a growing family is always hungry.

[@wasyertakeawaythaturmadeofcorn]

She had to make a smart gamble. She showed it where to go in and seemed to know the adult fox wouldn't be able to get in. Maybe there was a little lesson involved there, as well; this is what will eat you, that's why I'm trying to put you up. She can't risk all the babies for a problem child and this would solve things, one way or another.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

None of that really makes sense. I think that sometimes we just have to accept that we don't know what's going on and will never know. I think this is one of those times. The mama took her other errant kit off to join his brothers and sisters wherever they were all stashed for the day. And yet with this one she seemed to short-circuit. She took it to the tree stump den, which the raccoons frequently use, but which wasn't where the rest of the family was. And when she saw that it was being used by a fox family, she dropped the kit and fled. That's really strange behavior for a mama raccoon - they will fight tooth and nail for their babies. We've seen them chase coyotes. The other kits weren't at risk at all - the fox wasn't threatening them. Also, the adult foxes easily get into the tree stump den. It will fit 2 or 3 of them (amazingly).

[@irksome100]

Maybe it's kinda like teaching your kid to swim by throwing him of the boat into the water. It either sinks or learns to swim.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We think, actually, that she had nipped across the street for a margarita. Seriously, though, raccoon mamas are the sweetest, best mamas. We have absolutely no idea how she misfired on this one. It was an agonizing 24 hours.

[@irksome100]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife Yes, rather bizarre behavior on the part of the mother. The temptation is to intervene and fix things. I am learning, painfully, to stay out of the way. Thanks for the video.

[@NYCNUF]

This was clearly an attempt to give junior up for adoption.

[@marcelOberauer]

Yeah a forced adoption :P

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank god the attempt failed. I don't think the foxes would have been great parents... Baby raccoons fool around a lot and tell jokes, foxes are extremely business-like. They would have been a bad match.

[@Theawesomeking4444]

when mom ditches you in a new school

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It reminded me of being dropped at boarding school at the age of 11.

[@_s827]

All of your cameras are really paying off!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

True. It was especially lucky that we had a camera in the hollow log and could see that mama found her baby again.

[@_s827]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife This whole video is such a good example of "luck favors the prepared person" or whatever that saying is. The fact that you guys have been getting all these cameras up for a while now means you're able to catch amazing footage like this, and enough of it to put together a whole How many documentary on this wildlife dram

[@dereklonewolf9011]

Fascinating guys 👍 great vid 🇨🇦 71+ Manitoba outdoorsman

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, Derek! Much appreciated.

[@evelynwaugh4053]

This was standard parenting in the 50s and 60s. Parents would say `If you're going to cry, I'll give you something to cry about,' which I don't think they learned from Dr. Benjamin Spock.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

True. That's exactly what parents did. I like to think that the mama raccoon was contrite and apologetic when she found her brave kit. And I also like to think that the kit never fully forgave her.

[@RubysCreek]

What a bizarre episode 🤔

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Yes. It was. We could hardly believe the baby escaped. We couldn't rescue it from the den and it was awful to be so powerless.

[@ellenwinter9591]

The good thing is that no one is getting hurt.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Yes. We were very, very lucky.

[@ES11777]

Well, some animals are more, some are less intelligent. Seems like the momma raccoon was in the second category 🤷‍♀️ Not everything animals do has to make sense, they have mental capacity similar to human children, after all, and we love them for it, but it can put them in dangerous situations as wee see in this video

[@ruthmoore2246]

What an amazing history. Incredible.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We were so relieved that the baby raccoon survived. We didn't know until the next day when we pieced all the different bits of video together.

[@ptaylor4923]

Amazing

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Yes. I can't tell you how happy we were.

[@BoyGeorgiaX]

Incredible

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We find it hard to believe ourselves.

[@RandomInternetDog]

Maybe the mama just wanted rid of a problematic cub!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We sort of doubt it. If you look at their reunion, she was so pleased to have found the cub again. It's a bizarre story, though, isn't it? None of it makes sense.

[@nathanielanderson4898]

I wouldn't listen to my mother anymore after that.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

No! No way. We agree. We were so relieved when we saw that the raccoon had escaped we nearly cracked open some champagne. A clever, and very lucky, little raccoon.

[@stevepseudonym445]

Did she win when they handed out the mother of the year award?

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

She so totally, utterly, completely did not. She did bring up all 5 of her babies to adulthood, but I hope that this particular little one never quite forgave her.

[@jailbreakoverlander]

Thats crazy

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It truly was crazy. We will never know what was going on in the mama raccoon's head. It was a really scary day. There seemed no way the baby raccoon could survive, and we were afraid to try to rescue it in case upsetting the foxes precipitated a confrontation. We opened champagne when the baby escaped.

[@annafraley5388]

Excellent, pretty sure we would of had to go run some interference ....

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It was awful. The den is completely surrounded by a wall of brush (put there to keep coyotes out - or make it a noisy business for them to get in close to the den) and we couldn't easily get through it. And once the little raccoon was underground, we couldn't get to it at all. We were in agony all day. When we realized the next morning that the baby had survived we opened champagne.

[@tomaudio7415]

That's crazy ! Raccoon cub may not be a prey that much for fox ?

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Yes, it was crazy. We've seen foxes kill raccoon cubs. They are definitely prey. We have no idea why the adult foxes didn't kill this one. We were so happy that the little raccoon survived. It was the smartest - and luckiest - creature in the world.

[@Toyon95]

This could be a fable or a fairytale! If it was a fable, I wonder what the sensmorale would be?

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Well now, that's an excellent question. My vote would be for something like "Never drink tequila first thing in the morning". We will never understand what the mama raccoon was thinking. She had just rescued one of the two kits she'd left behind and taken it off to join the rest of the family. Why would she come back to rescue this little one and take her somewhere different? And why, when she saw the papa fox, didn't she turn around and leave? Bizarre.

[@b991228]

I’m sure raccoons are a threat to newborn foxes.

[@candidcichlids]

Fox and raccoons get along both are attacked and prey for bobcat, coyote, lions and fisher cats.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Yes, in general they get along. A fox will kill an unguarded baby raccoon, but the adults tolerate each other. However, the foxes are quite wary of the raccoons - if they meet on one of the trails, the fox will step aside and the raccoon will get right of way.

[@pois3689]

Filmato molto bello .

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Grazie mille!

[@PatSophal]

wow

[@ScotchIrishHoundsman]

She told him if he wasn’t gonna listen then she was gonna let the foxes eat him!

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

So it seems.

[@cristianfuentes6164]

What a brave baby