Raccoon
Siblings Hickory and Bluebell love to play and explore their habitat together. After an eventful day of foraging for snacks and climbing around their habitat, you can find them snuggled together in their den.
Hickory and his sister Bluebell came from the Memphis Zoo to Northwest Trek in September 2024. They were born in the spring of 2024 and were found as orphaned wild raccoons living on Memphis Zoo grounds. With permission from the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, staff at Memphis Zoo rescued and raised Hickory and Bluebell.
|
Coexisting with raccoons
|
When humans attempt to help wildlife by providing food, it can often lead to unintended consequences. Feeding "people food" to raccoons can cause them to lose their natural avoidance of humans and instead encourage them into unsafe situations. |
Wild raccoons are often found living near human populations because of the ease of finding food. The best way to keep raccoons out of your yard is to secure garbage or other outdoor food sources tightly. Once a raccoon learns to open a trash can lid, they will remember and try it on any house they find. |