![Yelena Shabrova ~ Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (raccoon)](https://i0.wp.com/shabrova.com/artblog/wp-content/uploads/Yelena_Shabrova__Explorer__mixed_media_raccoon_640.jpg?resize=512%2C640)
Raccoons are adorable as long as you do not stand between them and what they think is their food or keep a healthy distance from them in general. I imagine gardeners don’t appreciate living side by side with them, but not being one I enjoy every encounter, be it in the wilderness or in the city.
This is a Russian raccoon who looks exactly as his American relatives and can be just as feisty. I met him and his family in the Moscow Zoo more than a decade ago.