Despite the fact of adulthood the raccoon decided to stay in the deer shelter.
Carrie Long, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, received a call last year about a problematic baby raccoon. He was abandoned by his mother at the age of three weeks and was found clinging to life during a rainstorm. Long, whose nonprofit organization Texas Fawn and Friends, which specializes in rescuing orphaned deer, decided to adopt the raccoon. His name was Jasper. “We weren’t sure if he would survive”, Long told the Dodo.
Even though Jasper has come of age and is free to act on his own, he has chosen to stay at Long’s deer hideout. Her name is Hope. She, too, lost her mother when she was a child.
“Jasper adores her,” Long explained. – “When he sees her, he rushes to lick and kiss her. It’s the cutest thing in the world”.
Here’s a clip of Jasper and Hope’s adorable friendship in action:
Jasper and Hope are doing well. “He sees her every day”, Long explained. “She comes in the evening and lies down next to him. They have a good relationship”.
This year, Long expects to take care of more than 100 orphaned fawns, all of whom would likely have died were it not for the dedication and hard work of the Texas fawn and his friends. They don’t just save their lives; they are given a chance to succeed. Long would have preferred it to be so. “It’s a very pleasant job”, she says.
