When officers from the Lakeville Police Department in Minnesota got a call about a potentially rabid raccoon roaming the neighborhood, they prepared for a serious situation.
But what they found instead couldn’t have been further from dangerous.
The “rabid” raccoon was, in fact, a total sweetheart.
“Officers arrived and quickly realized [the raccoon] was super friendly and dog-like,” a department spokesperson told The Dodo. “He wanted to be around people.”
Rather than acting sick or aggressive, the young raccoon bounded up to the officers, eager to play and follow them around. Within minutes, he had charmed the entire squad.
“He was much more friendly than what they were expecting!” the spokesperson said. “The officers quickly established a positive relationship with him.”
At first, they considered releasing him at a nearby park. But there was one problem — he wouldn’t leave their side. In fact, he kept following them back to the patrol car, insisting on tagging along.
That clinginess made officers suspect he might have been hand-raised or kept as a pet.
Since raccoons aren’t legal to own in Minnesota, they brought him to a wildlife rehabilitation center where experts could keep him safe and teach him the survival skills he’ll need to eventually live in the wild.
Before saying goodbye, the officers gave their new furry friend a name: Gerald.
Now under the care of rehab specialists, Gerald will hopefully learn to be more independent — but back at the station, he’s still the talk of the office.
“He is being talked about by everyone here,” the spokesperson said.
From “rabid raccoon” to beloved mascot, Gerald proved that sometimes the scariest calls end with the sweetest surprises.
