James Blackwood, named the Racoon Whisperer, has gone viral for feeding 20 of the hungry animals on his back porch.
Blackwood is a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer from Nova Scotia, Canada.
He has been feeding the racoons for 25 years, following on from the project that his late wife begun.
Here is the man himself in action:
In the video, we can see just how healthy, if a bit chubby, and happy these racoons are. James has built up such a relationship with the animals that he has named one Sammy and another Woody. He must have a hard time telling them apart, though.
The racoons are omnivores which means that they can eat both meat and plants, of which James treats them to both. Among some of the things these furry creatures’ meals have consisted of is chicken, hotdogs, green grapes, kibble and bits of dry dog food.
The Racoon Whisperer has said that the creatures are ‘not totally dependent’ on him for food, adding that they ‘leave in the fall and in the spring seek out new territories to start families.’
The racoons aren’t James’ only furry friends, as he has two rescue cats called Connor and Charlotte. I wonder what they think of these stripey-tailed visitors.
Whilst James Blackwood is lucky enough to live in a thriving animal community, some ecosystems are at risk of extinction like this one in New York.
