WOODBURY, Conn. (WJAR) – A Connecticut man has formed an unbelievable bond with a raccoon and its family.
The 82-year-old said the raccoon has been visiting him daily for over a year.
At Dick Clark’s Connecticut home, it is apparent everywhere that he enjoys the presence of animals.
A while back, Clark’s kids got him a security camera.
“What it does is monitor this area, whether it’s pets or people, whatever the action might be,” he said.
What the cameras captured over the last year is something you have to see to believe.
“So it’s become a hobby or sort of a pastime. I’ve always loved animals,” Clark said.
Last spring, Clark was smoking a cigar outside.
“This raccoon just came walking up to me, just strutted up. Stood there, looked at me, didn’t run, didn’t do anything else, I was mesmerized by her ability to get that close to me,” he said.
The next day, the critter came back and every day that followed.
Clark quickly became something like a raccoon whisperer.
“I don’t know if she felt comfortable with me, but then she came back with five babies after a month of bonding, let’s say, with myself,” he said.
From there, a bond was built.
The raccoon came every day until it was time to hibernate, and then, sure enough, this spring, one of the babies remembered their favorite human.
Nearly every night between 7 and 11, Clark patiently waits for the raccoon to arrive.
“It’s like when you had a teenage kid and they didn’t come home by 11 and you’re lying there and lying there like, ‘What happened? Did they go to a party?’ That’s how ridiculous it gets. I worry about the raccoon,” he said.
When his phone lets off an alert, he makes his way outside, where the pair spend quality time together.
“It’s my therapy, I think,” Clark said.
Though Clark understands that feeding wildlife is not advised, he does share with his raccoon friend.
“I wear a glove on my right hand. I put the grapes and marshmallows in it, and she gently takes the things out. I don’t need to use the glove, but I’d rather be safe than sorry,” he said.
Clark always washes his hands and is on the lookout for signs or symptoms of sickness.
So far, his furry friend is always friendly.
“After two or three weeks, then she got up in my lap, but I didn’t want her to get any closer than that because again, she’s still an animal,” Clark said.
While he has no problem deciphering the two, the once-in-a-lifetime relationship with the raccoon is something he values and enjoys.
Clark said that being in his own natural habitat with his raccoon friend by his side is a great place to be.
“The most important thing is it just keeps me occupied. I enjoy doing it. It’s as simple as that,” he said.
Clark said he is always on the lookout for a change in the raccoon’s behavior.
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