Shocked resident calls for help after sighting stray raccoon on her shed roof

Stray racoon rescued by Fenland Animal Rescue in Broughton (Image: Archant)

The raccoon was spotted by the resident who saw the animal sitting on the roof of her shed on Thursday and, after searching the animal on the internet, she called the Fenland Animal Rescue for help.

A spokesman for Fenland Animal Rescue said: “Our call handler was certainly puzzled after taking this call, but it is safe to say that Cambridgeshire ceases to amaze us.”

The organisation’s animal rescue specialist attended the property to comfort the raccoon, and set about capturing it.

“With the animal moving to different areas of the property, it was a short game of ‘cat and mouse’ before he was able to secure him on a rooftop and bring him down to safety,” the spokesman added.

“Raccoons are not native to the UK, so they are not an animal our team have come into contact with previously and certainly not one that should be living wild.”

Specialist equipment was used to secure, move and transport the animal whilst on the scene and to the charity’s centre.

“Once safely in our care, he was treated to a big lunch and plenty of fluids to make him comfortable and ensure he settled in nicely.”

The organisation is now searching for the animal’s previous owner, but if it unable to find his home the animal will be sent to a specialist raccoon centre in the north of Cambridgeshire.

Residents had previously spotted the raccoon in Huntingdon on Wednesday before it was found six miles away in Broughton the following day.

Anyone in the Huntingdonshire area who has lost a raccoon is asked to contact Fenland Animal Rescue Service on info@fenlandanimalrescue.org.uk to register their details with its adoptions team.