Weird White Raccoon

This white raccoon lives in the woods near a Rockledge subdivision. Brevard Zoo officials say they cannot capture and display the rare animal because it is healthy.
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Woman fears for albino raccoon's safety
BY RICK NEALE • FLORIDA TODAY • December 1, 2008

The pale-furred mutant likes to munch on grapes and cat food, said a woman who feeds and photographs the elusive animal. Fearful for the albino creature's safety, the woman asked Brevard Zoo officials to trap it and put it on public display. She asked FLORIDA TODAY to withhold her identity so hunters would not converge on the raccoon's territory.

"I'd hate to see him get shot as a trophy," she said. "This is something kids would love to see. He is so unique."

Michelle Smurl, Brevard Zoo's director of animal programs, said the zoo is not at liberty to trap an adult animal that is thriving in the wild. She viewed photos of the animal and confirmed that it is a white raccoon.

"The raccoon looks healthy, and it looks like it's doing well," Smurl said. "I grew up with white squirrels up in New York, and I was worried that someone was going to shoot them."

Raccoons are common across the state and live "everywhere there are trees," according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Web site. These omnivores are about the size of a small dog and are identifiable by "black mask" facial features and bushy ringed tails.

But according to a KFOR-TV report of an Oklahoma white raccoon sighting, only one in 750,000 albino raccoons will survive to adulthood.

Earlier this month, a ghostly white raccoon startled an Illinois man during a backyard barbecue, Prairie State Outdoors reported.

Two ivory-colored raccoons were trapped earlier this year in Tennessee, leading a Memphis Commercial Appeal outdoors columnist to proclaim, "You have a better chance of being struck by a bolt from Mother Nature than seeing an albino raccoon."

Smurl said humans should not feed raccoons because they are wild animals.

Cat Survives!

While this is not an everyday occurance, it does happen frequently. This is just a more extreme case. Cats tend to find warm, quiet places as it gets cool outside, and cars are a perfect (in their feline minds) place. Then, severe injuries or death can occur. Use care, and don't let your treasured inside cat outside.

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Cat's week under car bonnet (hood). November 2008

An Austrian motorist couldn't work out why his Mercedes car was "purring" along better than normal - until he looked under the bonnet.

Peter Hochberger discovered his neighbour's terrified moggie Luna had been perched on the engine block - for nearly a week.

Lucky Luna had survived more than 300 miles of motoring without food or water before her mewing raised the alarm.

The petrified puss had hidden so deep inside the engine that it had to be dismantled to get her out.

Mechanic Walter Doerfler, 48, said: "I have no idea how she got so far into the engine, it was a major job to take parts off so we could reach her."

Amazingly she escaped with just some minor singes to her fur and is now back with her family in Ruprechtshofen, Austria, counting her eight remaining lives.

Relieved owner Erwin Taurok said: "It is a miracle that Luna survived the odyssey without food or water almost unharmed. We were worried about her after she didn't turn up for a week and had put up posters with her picture - we are delighted to have her back."

Real Life "Bambi and Thumper"

These images were forwarded in an email recently. Amazing.