While most people work hard to keep raccoons away from their homes, trash cans and pets, one man from Nova Scotia in Canada is doing just the opposite. James Blackwood has befriended dozens, if not hundreds, of raccoons over the years. The retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police Offer refers to himself as the “Racoon Whisperer”, and after seeing videos of him feeding dozens of hungry raccoons, it’s safe to say that the title is fitting.
The adorable animals swarm his back porch waiting for their next meal. In the video below, you can see dozens of the raccoons taking snacks from his hands and cozying up next to him on a bench.
Blackwood has been caring for the raccoons for the past 20+ years. As he shared, many of the raccoons he feeds are orphans. They do live wild in the woods but show up at his house for a daily meal. Beyond feeding them, he treats them for disease, ticks, fleas, and worms. He lives in a mostly forested area and the raccoons don’t bother his few neighbors.
It’s clear that this man deeply loves his raccoons, but it wasn’t actually his project to begin with. Blackwood shared, “This was my wife’s project and she died in 2003 of Cancer and begged me on her death bed to take care of her raccoons and cats and her mother. I honored her wishes and took care of the cats and her mother for the next ten years.”
The raccoons are clearly well-fed, but they don’t actually rely on Blackwood for all of their food. Though they appreciate his generosity, they’re still independent and leave in the fall and spring to start families. He did say that they sometimes come back to visit.
Since sharing the video below, his YouTube channel has gained around 200,000 new subscribers and counting. On his channel, he regularly posts videos of his raccoons and feeding time. He makes sure to feed the raccoons balanced meals and snacks and even lets visitors feed them in some of his videos!
Blackwood really knows his raccoons and even names some of the most frequent visitors. Three of his favorite raccoons are Woody, Sammy, and Blackie.
Check out the adorable video of feeding time below:
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