Some boaters in Maryland were out on the water celebrating the 4th of July when they came upon a most unusual sight and ended up saving a life.
These boaters were out on the water enjoying the holiday when they heard some strange cries. For hours, they looked for the source of the sounds when they came upon a baby raccoon treading water.
Realizing the exhausted baby was in trouble, they wondered how they could rescue the little kit, otherwise known as a baby raccoon. Although raccoons are good swimmers, this one was a little far from the land.
With no mom in sight, the boaters wondered how the raccoon ended up out on the water all alone and if he’d have the strength to make it back to shore after so much time on the water he was obviously lost.
Raccoons swim slowly, using their paws as paddles. So, it would take the raccoon a good deal of time to make it to shore by himself, even if he knew the way. Plus, there was the danger that he’d be injured by a passing boat.
The boaters knew that they had to do something to help. They didn’t have the heart to leave it up to the raccoon to save himself. They tried to come up with a plan when one of the boaters had a genius idea.
They tied a rope to a life preserver and then tossed the life jacket overboard. The clever raccoon quickly realized that they were there to help and climbed on top of the life jacket so he could float on the water.
The raccoon must have been tired because as soon as he was safe on top of the jacket, he laid down to rest. No one knew how long he’d been there treading water, but he looked relieved to have a break from swimming.
As the raccoon recovered, a kind boater slowly and carefully began towing him toward shore. It seemed the baby had his own little rescue crew and a tugboat to save him. As he floated away toward safety, all the other boaters could do was say goodbye. Their account of the incident was shared on YouTube:
“During the early morning hours of July 4, 2016, one of our crew aboard our boat heard a yelping sound and at first it sounded like birds overhead,” writes Peter, one of the boaters, on YouTube. “Several hours later we finally found the source of the cry — a young raccoon treading water on the side of the boat. Not wanting to pick it up out of the water, we threw it a life preserver to climb upon and then towed it to land.”
Hopefully, the adorable raccoon learned his lesson and won’t be embarking on any more dangerous aquatic adventures. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, all ended well for him on that day. We hope you enjoyed this adorable rescue story. Please share with your friends.
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