CuriOdyssey, in San Mateo, California, is known for its collection of wildlife rescues. One of which is an elderly raccoon named Merlin. His brother passed four years ago so he’s been going it solo. At almost 14 years old, this geriatric loner will be the oldest living raccoon in captivity (on record) in March.
In the wild, raccoons generally live only two to three years so Merlin is quite the trooper. He does have some back problems and is kind of a grumpy old man, only warming up to his trainer. He has, however, been enjoying the newly remodeled exhibit which has tripled in size and now features a shallow running stream and grassy play areas. Merlin will soon have to learn to share though.
CuriOdyssey Brings In The Girls
Yesterday, for the first time, new raccoons Tilly and Pebbles were introduced to their new outdoor home. The two girls were in quarantine for 90 days after their arrival from Wisconsin so it was a pretty significant event. With neither being able to live in the wild, they were brought to CuriOdyssey to thrive and educate.
Meet Tilly
Tilly, a three-year-old feisty digger, had been regularly fed by local neighbors and lost her fear of humans. She has a wide face and the more traditional gray-ish coloring.
Meet Pebbles
Pebbles, nearly a year old, was taken in and raised by a family who found her by her deceased mother. You’ll know it’s her by her tan stripped tail and pointy nose.
Why Raccoons?
When I told Frans that I was going to CuriOdyssey to check out their two new raccoons he said, “Why?” I must admit that seeing raccoons in the wild can be kind of intimidating with their sharp claws and penetrating glares. Plus, they are known to wreak a bit havoc on unsuspecting suburban households. Raccoons are just the victims of misconception and circumstantial survival.
- As omnivores, they help keep the population of rats, mice, ravens, snails, etc. in check.
- They are also smart, opportunistic, and adaptable so if you have some yummies left outside for the pets or in the garbage, it’s fair game!
- Raccoons didn’t always live in sewers. They actually prefer to be up high but there aren’t enough trees anymore.
So, if you raccoon-proof your yards, close up open spaces, keep and feed the pets inside at night, and keep your distance you can learn to appreciate these fuzzy bandits. I have to say, they were pretty stinking cute running about, climbing, digging, and playing in the water.
The CuriOdyssey Raccoon Exhibit
All three raccoons will not be in the exhibit at the same time, at least not for a while. Marlin and the girls will switch off using the outdoor exhibit until it’s safe to acquaint them with one another. This can be a sensitive and long process but it’s vital for them to all play together nicely.
When will you be heading to CuriOdyssey to meet Pebbles and Tilly?
- Official website: CuriOdyssey.org (review here)
- Social Links: Facebook, Twitter
23 comments
Raccoons are such fun animals to watch!
I wondered how the integration would go bringing in the new residents. I hope that flows smoothly for them and they all end up liking one another. 🙂
I would go see them… I love watching most animals at zoos.
Awww. I love raccoons and you got some great shots of them. We have learned to live in peace with them, in the country, they are just a normal part of life.
Oh wow that looks like a fun place to go visit! Those raccoons are so cute!!
So cute! We have our own little raccoon exhibit a lot of nights. We have a raccoon that comes up onto our back porch a couple of nights a week. I’m usually the only one still awake and love to sneak over to the window and watch him just a few feet away. 🙂
That is so neat, one of our friends had so many racoons they’d sit in the trees surrounding their house and watch everything!
They are so cute! Our dog keeps away most of the racoons near us we have had a couple of incidents though with some garbage 🙂
I wouldn’t mind going to something like that. 🙂
Oh I love the racoon’s, much better seeing them in an exhibit then in the garbage like we use to see them in an apt complex I lived at years ago. I would never take it out at night because of them.
These things were my nemesis during our recent camping trip! My son’s backpack was left in a tent … they got in, UNZIPPED IT, and rifled through the snacks, tearing into a brand new (and expensive) bag of dried fruit. GAH!!!!
I’m seriously going to have to take the kids here, looks like a lot of fun!
This is so sweet! I hope both Merlin and his new female friends can all live happily ever after.
This place looks like so much fun, I love the vibrant pictures.
I love raccoons. What neat place to visit. I once had a racoons on my doorstep, Dad told me I was crazy for trying to “shoo” it away because I guess they are not that friendly out in the wild 😉
I would love to go there! I had a family of raccoons as neighbors for awhile when I was little but we don’t have any here so I would love to go see them!
Looks like a great place to visit and see. I love Raccoons.
Raccoons are beautiful animals. So glad you covered this story and I will definitely take my kids to observe these brilliant creatures. Just hope we preserve our wild space for all animals, no matter our attitudes towards them.
Oh my gosh, those raccoon are so cute. I would love to visit that exhibit.
Now that’s how I like to see raccoons (the ones that run through our garbage at night creep me out big time!)
Come on over to my house… you can see racoons fairly often here. 🙂
When we lived in the country we saw raccoons frequently. Now that we are in the city, we don’t see them.
When the little bandits are confined this like, I’m fine with it and they even look cute!
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