Blonde Raccoon Rescued From Trash Can Near California Lake Where Species is Scarce

In an area in California, where the raccoon population was low, a volunteer found a blonde raccoon in a trash can close to a lake.

Blonde Raccoon in a Trash Can

Earlier in October, Dana Berry and the other Trash Falcons made their recurring sweep of the wildlife refuge, clearing it of loose shopping carts, toys, and tape recorders.

The Trash Falcons are a group of volunteers that meet every Sunday morning in Adams Point to collect trash and debris from the 3.4-mile lagoon.

Berry was about to start emptying his load into one cardboard garbage can when he heard growling coming from the bottom of the container.

A baby raccoon with leucism, a rare pigmentation condition that causes white coloration and spots in animals and is related to albinism, was discovered when the man glanced inside.

Although it's not known how many of these raccoons reside beside the lake, earlier sightings from 2018 indicated that at least one family is present.

A group of white raccoons was sighted by the lagoon in 2021, and as recently as last month, some of them were even seen fleeing with someone's leftover burrito.

Where the family of this specific infant raccoon is located is still unknown.

First Raccoon Rescue

Berry reported that after carefully picking the raccoon up, he was tempted to summon some of the other Falcons but decided against it because he knew the poor animal must be afraid.

To release the baby raccoon from its cardboard prison, he delicately tipped the garbage container.

The blonde raccoon groans, darts outside, climbs a neighboring tree and then vanishes into the undergrowth.

Trash Falcons co-founder Richard Shirk claimed that nothing of that size had ever occurred before. Out of their 190 missions, they have saved baby turtles stuck on the opposite side of the lake, but this is the first time volunteers have discovered a trapped baby raccoon and released it back into the wild.

Leucism in Raccoons

It's quite uncommon to come across a "blonde" raccoon in the wild, according to Hope Swinimer, the founder of Hope for Wildlife, a rescue facility with headquarters in Nova Scotia.

She's seen leucism in squirrels, minks, skunks, and even ravens, and the organization has taken in around a dozen raccoons with it over the years.

When one arrives, Swinimer remarked, it's always a thrilling day because it's so uncommon to witness.

Normally, she advises letting a leucistic raccoon alone if it appears to be in good health. But if the animal appears ill, a medical examination may be necessary.

The poor little raccoon may have spent some time in the trash bin since, as Swinimer noted, he appears very depressed.

A senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, Tiffany Yap, said it's an exciting chance to learn more about the complex ecosystem of the Oakland lagoon.

Yap said it's a good reminder that people do coexist with nature.