Kayaker Rescues Exhausted Baby Raccoon Stranded in Open Water

Quick Take

• The kayaker's first instinct about where to drop off the raccoon turned out to be completely wrong, and the reason why changes everything.
• Sharks were in the water the whole time, a detail that reframes the entire rescue in a chilling way. Sharks lurking nearby →
• Raccoons can swim, but there's a specific reason this one was running out of time fast. Why the raccoon was struggling →
• The fisherman caught something he planned to offer his unexpected passenger, though his plan never quite worked out the way he hoped. The mullet that went uneaten →

A young raccoon found itself in a rough spot when it ended up swimming through open water with land still some distance away. Fortunately, a kayaker spotted the exhausted animal and gave it an unexpected ride. The rescue eventually ends on Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys, with the raccoon safely back on dry land.

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What Is Floating in the Water?

The video starts with the kayaker shouting, “What the hell is that thing?” At first, the object is too far away to identify. As he gets closer, he notices fur and a furry tail and realizes he is looking at a young raccoon swimming through the water. The animal appears exhausted, and the kayaker approaches to help it reach land. The raccoon has another idea. It climbs aboard the kayak and soon settles into the tackle box.

The kayaker first heads toward a nearby island, apparently hoping the raccoon can get back on land there. By the time he arrives, however, his passenger is fast asleep. He decides the small island is not a good place to leave it and continues toward a larger one. The raccoon, meanwhile, remains sound asleep despite his attempts to wake it.

So the exhausted animal comes along for the fishing trip. At one point, the kayaker points out dark shapes in the water that he identifies as sharks, making the raccoon’s swim look even more dangerous in hindsight. Raccoons are strong swimmers, but they do not have webbed feet or waterproof fur. This one had clearly burned through plenty of energy before finding a much easier way to travel.

Feeding a Raccoon

The fisherman eventually catches a plump mullet that he intends to offer the raccoon when it wakes up. Fish can be part of a raccoon’s diet, but these animals are opportunistic omnivores that eat an enormous variety of foods. Depending on what is available, that can include fish, crayfish, insects, frogs, eggs, fruits, berries, nuts, and corn. A couple of hours into the trip, though, this raccoon is still sleeping and even snoring inside the tackle box, leaving the fisherman unable to reach some of his gear.

As the sun begins to set, the kayaker paddles back rather than starting the motor and waking his passenger. Once he reaches Big Pine Key, the raccoon finally begins to stir, although it still seems reluctant to give up its comfortable spot. The kayaker eventually lifts it onto dry land. After taking a moment to get its bearings, the raccoon walks away into the vegetation, bringing one very strange day on the water to a happy ending.