Residents in Cornwall have been treated to an unexpected wildlife spectacle after a raccoon, an animal native to North America, was spotted roaming freely in a local garden. The incident prompted a swift response from animal welfare authorities and marks the second time this month an exotic creature has gone on the run in the county.
Raccoon Captured on Camera
The unusual sighting occurred in the Gwennap area, where a resident managed to film the adventurous mammal on their garden patio. RSPCA Cornwall quickly shared the video online, alerting locals to the animal's presence. The agency confirmed it had contacted relevant specialists and urged the public that if anyone could safely contain the raccoon, they should call the RSPCA helpline immediately.
Initial investigations by The Falmouth Packet revealed a curious detail: all local zoos confirmed their raccoons were securely accounted for. This led to speculation that the animal was likely a kept pet that had managed to escape. The saga reached a conclusion on Thursday evening around 6pm, when the raccoon was located in a nearby greenhouse. The RSPCA and a vet were reported to be en route to the scene to secure the animal.
Frankie the Flamingo's Cross-Channel Adventure
Remarkably, this raccoon incident is the second exotic animal escapade to capture headlines in Cornwall this month. In a story that spans international borders, a four-month-old flamingo named Frankie, who went missing from Paradise Park in St Ives, was discovered living in France.
Frankie escaped from a walled garden on the morning of Sunday 2 November, a surprising feat given that her feathers on one wing had been clipped to prevent flight. After more than a week of concern for her keepers, photographs emerged from Tréflez in Brittany, confirming the young flamingo had not only flown the coop but had made it all the way to northern France.
Nick Reynolds, director of Paradise Park, confirmed the identification to The Independent, stating, "We can definitely see the wing that we clipped, so we can definitely 100 per cent identify it as being Frankie." While devastated by the loss, Mr Reynolds explained that the logistics of bringing Frankie home are a "non-starter", involving complex import/export permits and multiple quarantine periods in both France and the UK.
A Pattern of Unusual Escapes
These back-to-back incidents highlight the unexpected challenges facing wildlife parks and the potential for exotic pets to cause a stir in the British countryside. The community's vigilance, combined with the swift action of organisations like the RSPCA, remains crucial in managing these unusual situations. For now, the Cornish raccoon has been found, but the story of Frankie the flamingo continues on the other side of the English Channel.
