They were only a few weeks old.
In May, staff at the Chase Center in San Francisco stumbled upon an unexpected problem: two tiny raccoon kits had slipped into a narrow space between the arena’s outer tiles and inner walls.
Unsure how to safely help, the workers contacted San Francisco Animal Care & Control. By the time Officer Stephanie Ryer and her team arrived, staff members had already managed to secure the first two babies. But then came news of a third kit trapped in the same way.
This time, Officer Ana Keefe and officer-in-training Bri Borg stepped in. Wearing bite-proof gloves, Keefe carefully gripped the little raccoon with one hand while gently maneuvering his head with the other, inching him free from the tight gap. Meanwhile, Borg helped by pulling the wall outward just enough to give the baby more room.
When the raccoon finally popped out, Keefe was flooded with relief.
“It took all my self-control not to kiss him on the head,” Keefe told The Dodo. “Of course I didn’t, but the weight lifted off our shoulders was huge.”
Officers believe the raccoon mother likely nested at the top of the wall and that her babies had accidentally fallen through the gap. Despite searching, the mother couldn’t be found.
Fortunately, the little ones were taken to Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue, the city’s wildlife rehab partner, where they’ll receive expert care until they’re old enough to return to the wild.
“They’re safe now and in good hands,” Keefe said. “When the time comes, they’ll be released back into a safe area near where they were discovered.”