I had always harbored preconceived notions about raccoons. To me, they were nothing more than scavengers who terrorized raided my birdfeeders at night and bullied the household pets if we accidentally left them outside. Having seen them scrounging for meals in dumpsters and trash bins, I believed raccoons were a public health hazard. All of that changed last week.
I heard a ruckus outside my bedroom window and turned on the exterior light. It was a band of baby raccoons foraging for their breakfast/supper in our trash. Their adorable little eyes took a while to adjust to the light, and they didn’t see me for several minutes on end. The baby raccoons looked just like Gund stuffed animals I had seen my nephew playing with. How could I possibly hold a grudge against these nocturnal visitors?