After a winter in rehab, six raccoons bound back into the wild together as a family

Six raccoons were filmed sprinting back into a Vancouver Island forest after spending the winter at a wildlife rehabilitation center.

In a recent TikTok, the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shared footage of the animals rushing out of a carrier and into the trees after becoming attached to one another in care.

What happened?

The BC SPCA's (@bcspca) video shows the raccoons making a quick return to a wooded release site on Vancouver Island.

@bcspca

🦝🐾 After being in care at Wild ARC all winter long, six little raccoons have been released back into the wild where they belong. They are definitely not-so-little now after 151-186 days in care! Each raccoon had a different story. A couple of siblings were brought in dehydrated and orphaned, another was unknowingly kidnapped by a well meaning citizen, and one even came in (and recovered from) a broken leg! Since they have all bonded together throughout the season, they were released together as a family. We wish them all the best in their new lives as wild raccoons. 🌲🐾 A big THANK YOU to all our wonderful winter volunteers who helped care for these raccoons! We really couldn't do this life-saving work without the help of our amazing volunteers. ❤ Are you interested in helping wildlife in need? Find more information about the many roles volunteers take on at Wild ARC, and apply at: wildarc.com/volunteer

♬ original sound - BC SPCA

They had remained in rehabilitation for months, though each had arrived there under different circumstances.

The organization explained that "a couple of siblings were brought in dehydrated and orphaned, another was unknowingly kidnapped by a well meaning citizen, and one even came in (and recovered from) a broken leg!"

Because they had become close while recovering, the staff released them at the same time.

As the caption put it, "Since they have all bonded together throughout the season, they were released together as a family."

Why does it matter?

The video highlights a less obvious issue: Even well-intentioned human actions can put wild animals at risk.

Since one of the raccoons, BC SPCA said, was "unknowingly kidnapped by a well meaning citizen," experts urge people not to intervene unless an animal is clearly injured, orphaned, or in immediate danger.

What are people saying?

Commenters on the video appreciated the love and care the raccoons received.

One commenter wrote, "awww [good luck] little ones and thank you BCSPCA."

"My heart!" said another, while a third wrote, "Love this!"

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