Florida Fisherman Rescues Baby Raccoon Struggling In The Ocean

Florida Fisherman Rescues Baby Raccoon Struggling In The Ocean

A Florida fisherman gave a baby raccoon a second chance at life after spotting him struggling in the ocean.

Steve of Key West Kayak Fishing regularly records and shares videos of himself fishing from his kayak around the Florida Keys.

Earlier this year though, he came across something unusual in the water: a baby raccoon!

He shared in a video on YouTube that he initially thought the raccoon was a piece of drift wood. After getting closer, he realized it had fur and suspected it was a dog. However, it was actually a young raccoon!

He scooped the raccoon up to give him a ride back to land, but the poor thing was so tired that he fell asleep in Steve's toolbox!

Steve paddled the little critter to a small island, but the raccoon refused to wake up. In the end, Steve allowed the tired raccoon to stay on his kayak and nap for hours. Before he left the water, he dropped the raccoon off on an island that's known as a deer sanctuary.

He wrote in the video's description:

"Came upon this little Raccoon swimming across the channel. Figured I would pick him up and drop him off at the nearest island. I guess he was exhausted because within a couple of minutes, he was sound asleep and I couldn't wake him up. I went on with my day and ended up taking him back to the main island. Big Pine Key is a wild deer sanctuary with not a lot of people and cars so I think he will be happy there."

You can watch the rescue for yourself in the video below:

Malorie Thompson

Malorie works as a writer and editor in Northern California. She's passionate about food, conscious living, animal welfare, and conservation. She's worked with a variety of publications in different sectors but is happiest covering topics close to her heart. When not at her laptop, Malorie can be found enjoying picnics on the beach, hiking in the redwoods, and spending time with her rescue pup, Jax.

Back to blog