Third Raccoon Recovered, One Still Missing from Island Zoo

A third of the four raccoons that went missing from an island zoo has been successfully captured. Amazon World Zoo Park, located near Sandown on the Isle of Wight, had appealed for public assistance on Friday to locate four 18-month-old female raccoons that had escaped from their enclosure. The zoo reported on social media that the third raccoon was found and secured in the early hours of Monday morning. Two of the sister raccoons had previously been captured on Friday and Saturday, leaving only one animal still at large. Speaking to BBC Radio Solent last week, head keeper Rachel Patrick encouraged local residents to look “in sheds and up trees”. She noted that the animals tend to hide “in any nook and cranny to go to sleep during the day”. The zoo assured the public that raccoons are “not normally aggressive,” but cautioned that the last remaining animal might be scared. The raccoons had arrived at Amazon World three weeks prior to their escape.