“We see them almost every night.”
Early last summer, Samantha C. Ridge noticed a tiny visitor appearing outside her home in Indiana.
It was a young raccoon, and something about him immediately made her worry. He seemed far too small to be wandering around by himself.
“I was worried he’d been kicked out from his family,” Ridge told The Dodo. “My husband, John, put out some leftovers for him. We felt bad because he was so little.”
The little raccoon quickly learned that the Ridges’ home was a safe place to stop for a meal. Before long, his visits became part of the family’s nightly routine.
“One night, we looked up and there he was, out on the deck, which is a second-story deck,” Ridge said. “John named him Radar.”
Radar soon developed another habit besides showing up for snacks.
The Ridges’ son left a rubber ball on the deck, and after eating, Radar discovered that it made a surprisingly entertaining toy. He would roll it around and play with it before heading back into the night.
As the weeks passed, Radar grew bigger. But he remained just as playful.
There was one thing the Ridges couldn’t help but notice, though: They never saw Radar with another raccoon.
Then, one evening, he arrived with company.
While Radar was enjoying his usual snack on the porch, a pale-colored opossum quietly appeared nearby.
Radar was immediately interested.
“Radar was very curious, but very considerate,” Ridge said. “She is polite and hesitant. I have named her Pearl.”
The meeting turned out to be the beginning of an unlikely friendship.
After that night, Radar and Pearl began returning to the deck together. Almost every evening, the two animals would show up for food and spend time side by side.
But Pearl wasn’t simply a dinner companion to Radar.
She was someone he could play with.
One night, Ridge happened to look outside and caught Radar entertaining himself with Pearl’s tail.
“I was honestly delighted watching them; Radar is so playful and funny and Pearl was so unbothered that we tried not to make noise or laugh, but it was tough,” Ridge said.
Apparently, Radar found Pearl’s tail irresistible.
“Radar has played with her tail often. Pearl never seems to care.”
The two animals have continued their unusual friendship ever since. Most nights, they can still be found sharing a meal on the Ridges’ deck, with Radar occasionally turning their quiet visits into playtime.
“We see them almost every night,” Ridge said.
For the Ridges, watching the pair has been especially meaningful because they remember how alone Radar seemed when he first appeared.
“We were all sad that Radar didn’t have any siblings or a mom around,” Ridge said. “But it’s been heartwarming to see him interacting playfully with Pearl, since it really seems he wants that connection and is still young.”
Pearl may not have been the sibling Radar was missing, but she has become something just as special: a patient companion who seems perfectly happy to let the little raccoon be himself.
“Pearl is tolerant of him, and I think he likes hanging out with her!” Ridge said.
And every night, when the two unlikely friends return to the deck, the Ridges get another glimpse of a friendship that neither animal could have planned—but both seem to enjoy.