October 1 is International Raccoon Day. Adding such a holiday to the calendar was suggested in 2002 by a little girl in California who wanted to prove that raccoons are not harmful animals. Subsequently, the holiday spread to other countries.
The tasks of Raccoon Day are:
• tell people about the peculiarities of raccoon biology;
• prove the erroneous perception of raccoons by humans as harmful or unpleasant animals;
• expand knowledge about these animals and change people's consciousness towards recognizing the value of raccoons in the natural world;
• prevent the destruction of the habitat of raccoons and other animals through environmental education;
Thanks to its dexterous forepaws, the raccoon (Procyon lotor) received not only its English name raccon (derived from the word "arakun" from the language of one of the Indian tribes, which can be roughly translated as "one who scratches, washes his hands"), but also the German name Waschbar ("the bear who washes"), as well as the scientific species name "lotor" (from the word "lavere", which means "wash" in Latin). The manipulations that the raccoon makes with its front limbs (rubs, "soaks" in water) are not washing - these actions are associated with the search and capture of various aquatic animals that make up its food.
Mykolaiv Zoo also keeps such predators. The ancestors of today's population of raccoons are: male Venik, born in Kharkiv Zoo on April 10, 2008 and female Lyalka, who was born on April 29, 2001 in Berdyansk and entered our zoo on October 7, 2011. This pair of raccoons lives with their son. They gave their last offspring in 2018. They are on display in new enclosures for small predators, which are located opposite the enclosures of camels.
Also in our zoo there is a younger pair of raccoons - a male Fedya and a female Matryona. This couple from 2017 to 2019 gave offspring: every year three sons. Today they live in an enclosure with their nine sons. The enclosure is located next to the otters.
Today, for the holiday, raccoons received from young biologists of the zoo a variety of delicacies hidden in cunning puzzle boxes. This is not only a delicacy, but also a toy with which the animals will be busy for a long time!