Hearing the words ‘raccoons’ and ‘relaxing’ in the same sentence may sound odd. But the sight of these raccoons is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. You see, they’ve come to have a bite and hang out with their dear friend, ‘The Raccoon Whisperer.’
Some people seem naturally gifted at getting along with animals, and the wonderful man you’ll meet today is one of them. But it’s not pigeons, dogs or cats that he feeds every day. Instead, he’s formed a close friendship with raccoons. These animals can be quite aggressive when scared or threatened, but he has proved that they have a remarkably friendly side as well.
“Had about eight which is enough 17 was way too many last night,” Jack Blackwood said in one of his video posts.
Blackwood is from the province of Nova Scotia on the east coast of Canada, where he lives in a forest area with very few neighbors. In one of his first videos, he had shared that having a river and a brook near his property makes it convenient for him to take care of the forest raccoons. He began uploading videos of him feeding them on his YouTube channel.
He feeds the raccoons hotdogs, which seem to be their favorite. They’ve finished the whole container!
He had to leave them alone for a while to get more.
They’ve learned to grab the hotdogs from the container by themselves.
One of them has a habit of washing the hotdog before eating it.
Before feeding the raccoons, Blackwood ensures that they are safe and rabies-free.
He has been feeding raccoons for over 20 years. This project was initially started by his wife. Sadly, she passed away in 2003 because of cancer. Since then, Blackwood has vowed to continue her project. He also looks after his wife’s mother and their rescued cats, Charlotte and Conor.
Aside from being rabies-free, the raccoons are also treated for ticks, fleas and worms. You can see clearly in the videos how healthy they are.
Blackwood feeds raccoons that live in the forest near his house. They come to his front porch once a day to eat.
Blackwood calls himself ‘The Raccoon Whisperer.’
No one is more deserving of this title! Aside from hotdogs, he feeds the animals grapes. Sometimes, they even get to enjoy peanut butter sandwiches. Even though the raccoons can drink from the nearby river, Blackwood makes sure there are two buckets of water for them every day. His wholesome videos have melted a lot of hearts online.
One of the YouTube viewers wrote, “I love watching this man feed raccoons, it heals the soul.”
Another commented, “This is the most relaxing 20 minutes and 50 seconds I’ve had in all of 2020.”
Most of the other comments are praises for Blackwood and his dedication towards taking care of the raccoons. Some viewers have offered to help him by giving donations, but he has refused to accept money. Instead, he encourages people to donate to their local animal rescue centers. It truly shows how kind and compassionate he is towards animals.
Away from the city and its crowds, ‘The Raccoon Whisperer’ has made his own little corner of heaven in the forest.
