Jenny MacBeth of Cheswick, Pennsylvania, has a backyard raccoon friend that she feeds when it comes begging at her back door, and she recently shared footage of what happened when another forest friend—a deer—wanted to share the snacks. Let’s just say, the raccoon didn’t fancy sharing.
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FOX Weather shared the footage in an Instagram post, calling it a “snack standoff” and joking that the raccoon was too “hangry” to share.
In the comments section, many people chime in to say that they don’t agree with MacBeth’s decision to feed the wild raccoon, and that she might soon regret it when the whole local raccoon community realizes she’s giving out free food.
MacBeth says her yard isn’t a random yard; it’s certified wildlife habitat in western Pennsylvania. She suggests there was nothing “hangry” about the racoon’s response.
“The mother raccoon had a late-season kit and was simply being protective of her little one,” MacBeth told Outdoors.com. “We intentionally manage separate feeding zones so species don’t compete for the same food, and the deer was completely unharmed.”
Watch a raccoon and a deer “face off” over snacks below (or see it here).
Header stock image by D E N N I S A X E R Photography/Getty Images
As the person who filmed this clip: my video is being used purely as clickbait, and the headlines completely strip out the real context! This isn’t a random yard—this is our certified wildlife habitat in Western PA. The mother raccoon had a late-season kit and was simply being protective of her little one. We intentionally manage separate feeding zones so species don’t compete for the same food, and the deer was completely unharmed. Thanks for appreciating real wildlife context!
Thanks so much for chiming in! We added this context to the article.