An animal lover came to the rescue of two orphaned babies – a raccoon and a skunk – after she spotted the unlikely pair together in Eureka, Missouri.
The animals were wandering near a busy parking lot, so she knew she had to do something to help them.
Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center (MWRC) shared the unusual rescue story on Facebook and wrote:
“When wildlife hero, Rebecca, stumbled across a pair of wayward wild babies in late May, she knew she had to do something. Not only were the two scurrying through a busy parking lot, but the animals weren’t even the same species!”
“We don’t know how they became orphans, or how they found one another, but they stuck together until help arrived — and then some,” MWRC wrote in the YouTube video they shared.
As strange as it seems, MWRC explained that the two youngsters were of the right age to bond, especially having no family around.
“The very young raccoon and very young skunk, possibly separated from their own families, must have crossed each other’s paths at just the right time. Wild skunks and raccoons of this age would normally be with their siblings, so sticking together may have seemed totally natural to them!”
Knowing the pair were in danger, Rebecca managed to catch them and bring them to MWRC. Both babies were examined and were treated for mild dehydration before being given their “own crate to rest in.”
The animals were offered “delicious and nutritious treats” but the pair was “too distressed by their sudden separation to eat.” So the rescuers thought it best to reunite the pair.
The moment the two animals were put back in one crate, they immediately ate and then snuggled up to sleep. Cutest cuddle puddle!
The next day, the raccoon was introduced to another baby raccoon who was all alone. And the skunk joined two other orphaned skunks. MWRC wrote, “Both wild babies accepted, and were accepted by, their new surrogate siblings immediately.”
The rescue noted that keeping the pair together may be cute in the eyes of humans, but they “both needed to develop their wild survival skills alongside other orphans of the same species” so they could be reintroduced into the wild.
Over the following weeks, the two orphaned animals learned many valuable skills and they, along with their surrogate siblings, were all successfully reintroduced into the wild.
MWRC wrote, “Never in 40+ years of rescuing wildlife have we seen a baby skunk and baby raccoon in cahoots, but with many years of experience, we’ve learned to be ready for anything…”
Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center receives hundreds of orphans over the summer months and throughout the year. Please consider supporting their rescue efforts by visiting their website.
