07/28/2026
This is so very true of raccoons. They are incredibly intelligent and are totally devoted to their families and friends.
I want to share something important about the young raccoon currently in my care — something that many people don’t realize about wildlife, especially raccoons. She was found lying beside her mother and sibling after they were struck and killed by a car. She was the only one still alive. She wasn’t running. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t injured in any obvious way. She was simply curled against them quiet and shut down.Juvenile raccoons form incredibly strong bonds with their mothers and littermates. Their mother is their entire world — their source of safety, warmth, guidance, and emotional regulation. Their siblings are their playmates, their comfort, their social teachers. They sleep together, explore together, and learn together. Their family is their foundation. When a young raccoon loses her mother and sibling suddenly and violently, her nervous system experiences a trauma that goes far beyond the physical. Even if her body survives, her emotional world collapses. What she showed that day — lying still beside them — wasn’t “being uninjured.” It was grief. Shock. Confusion. A complete shutdown of her sense of safety. Since coming into care, she’s been eating well, drinking well, and using her litter box. But she remains very quiet and sleeps more than usual. This isn’t illness. It’s emotional trauma. Her body recovered quickly, but her spirit is still healing. Even my own son, who loves animals, didn’t fully understand how deeply a raccoon can be affected by loss until he saw her. Many people assume wildlife “just move on,” but that’s not how social mammals work — especially not juveniles who depend so heavily on their family. Right now she’s safe, warm, and surrounded by calm. I have other raccoons her age, but I’m giving her time before introducing them. She needs to rebuild her sense of security before she can connect with new companions. When she’s ready, she’ll have raccoon friends again.
Thank you to everyone following her journey. She’s not “just an animal.” She’s a young life who lost everything familiar in one moment — and she’s healing at her own pace.
