Furious Raccoon Gives Rescuer an Earful After Being Freed

A raccoon tangled in wire in a Colorado wetland let its rescuer know exactly how it felt about the process, chattering and snarling as an animal control officer cut it free.

Body camera footage released by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office shows Animal Control Officer Floyd draping a towel over the frightened animal near the Dutch Creek Trail and snipping away the wire wrapped around it while it squirmed and hissed. “You’re going to be fine,” she tells the raccoon. “Okay, it’s okay.”

Once freed, the raccoon scrambled away into the reeds, prompting the officer to call out, “You are awesome!” The sheriff’s office shared the clip on International Raccoon Appreciation Day, praising Floyd’s “bravery and compassion” in helping what it called a “frightened little firecracker.”

“She knew that behind all that spice was an animal who needed help, and she stepped up,” the sheriff’s office said.