Writings in the Sand

Raccoons are Wiseguys

I think that an animal’s cuteness can get in the way of estimating its intelligence. Humans are programmed to respond to cuteness, which is why babies of every species are designed to be appealing and help us desire to nurture them.

Raccoons are adorable, especially when young. Sometimes they fall out of trees and wander off but the policeman won’t take them back to their mom. I know this from personal experience. However, the policeman did direct traffic around the baby raccoon so he could cross the street.

I wouldn’t mess with an adult raccoon. Those are impressive claws and they look very strong. They're also smart, like the raccoon who stole a pizza box off the neighbor's porch and climbed up to my second floor deck to eat the leftovers away from prying eyes. I peeked out the door at him and he stared right back at me with a look that warned me off of interfering with his dinner.

Raccoons are dextrous, intelligent and have good memory retention so they can learn new behaviors to fit the situation. And, they like to eat their pizza in peace.