An adorable video captured at just the right moment shows a mother raccoon using an incredible amount of strength and will to rescue her baby from falling to its death, with the mama dangling from a roof and holding its baby by the scruff as onlookers marveled at its grit.
For context, footage recorded in May 2025 in Franklin, Pennsylvania, shows a determined mother raccoon rescuing her baby from falling off a roof, using all of her strength to clutch onto the eaves of a house as she held her baby’s scruff in her mouth to stop it from falling.
In the heartwarming clip, the mother raccoon can be seen holding on for dear life to the edge of the roof of a Pennsylvania home, clinging to her baby, who had apparently stumbled off the edge. The man behind the camera watched anxiously, saying, “She’s not going to move him up. She’s going to drop him.” When all hope seemed to be lost, the man exclaimed, “Oh, no!”
Furthermore, according to Fox News, the video was recorded by the husband of Hannah Glancey, a Franklin resident who saw the rescue happening while he was delivering a DoorDash meal to a customer. Hannah, who was riding along at the time, marvelled at the raccoon’s strength and determination, saying, “Look at her go!”
As the raccoon used all of its might to rescue its baby, Mr. Glancey was wowed as well. He said, “Wow, that is the will of a mama right there.” The video later went viral, and the internet was equally impressed by the incredible persistence shown by the mama raccoon. One Facebook user commented, “This mother is more loyal than any human being.”
Interestingly, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the state’s raccoons are incredibly adaptable and can find a home in many different environments. The Game Commission website notes that raccoons “prefer forested areas, often offering plenty of den sites.” In addition, Pennsylvania raccoons reportedly loved to stay near sources of food like “blackberry, raspberry, and green briar patches.”
In addition, the Game Commission website sadly points out that raccoons can be “more susceptible to disease if they overpopulate an area,” adding that this can occur because “they encounter one another more often.” The website clarifies that “disease will only minimally impact populations.”
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Moreover, the Game Commission site notes that raccoons are prevalent “throughout Pennsylvania,” and that they often live near water, but “also on ridges and in suburban areas.” In addition, the Game Commission says that the little mammals sometimes “live in cities, where they den in storm drains and attics and raid garbage cans and pet dishes.”
Watch the heartwarming clip:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video