Raccoon Foraging in City Park (+ Why Do Raccoons "Wash" Their Hands?) | Urban Nature & Wildlife

I spotted a raccoon foraging in the park the other day and stayed a bit longer to film it!
About
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Hi! I'm aristhought and I'm passionate about nature and wildlife. As someone who lives in a big city, it is a joy to observe and document all the biodiversity right in the middle of our urban landscapes. It is my ongoing goal to foster curiosity and empathy about all the life we share this planet with, and to work on creating a kinder more sustainable future for them.
You can also find me on aristhought.com
Equipment
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Video camera: Canon Legria HFR76
Edited using: Adobe Premiere Pro

[@aristhought]

Note: As raccoons in cities can become habituated to humans through humans feeding them, it is sometimes wise to step back or walk away if a raccoon comes too close to you. The close up shot at 3:05 made it look like the raccoon came closer than it did, and I made my best judgment in the moment to stay still to not startle it, as I saw it was just walking past rather than actually coming towards me. Regardless, for the safety and well being of both yourself and raccoons, try and keep a respectful distance and not feed them - becoming too habituated to human feeding can put them in dangerous situations (to themselves, and to other people). They are very successful scavengers and will have no problem finding food on their own ❤