Chapter 638: Raccoon Tree Climbing Lessons

The raccoons gathered around the basin filled with frozen ice blocks, sticking out their tongues and licking non-stop!

You could see many different colorful ingredients inside.

As omnivores, raccoons had a wide variety of food choices, including cucumbers, carrots, eggplants, apples, biscuits, and oranges.

One raccoon leaned its head to the side, using its teeth on one side of its mouth to nibble on a tiny bit of carrot that was exposed. Another raccoon approached, and the first one, being dominant, used its paw to push the newcomer's head back, not allowing it to share, even growling.

The newcomer, pushed in the face, also got upset and climbed onto the ice block, pushing the first one away with its body.

Protecting the ice block with its arms, it pushed it to the side.

Pushing it further, it even stood the ice block upright and stood up, pushing the ice block like a wheel, rolling on the grass, looking very playful.

New game discovered!

Soon, the raccoons moved away from the ice block, leaving only one raccoon licking the melted ice water.

Raising its head, it realized, "Oh, it's all gone?"

Hastily, it also ran after them.

"Director, where are the baby raccoons? Weren't they allowed to go out and play now?"

Fang Ye pointed to the edge of the activity area, at a tree trunk with a nesting box, "There, over there!"

Lan Li followed and turned the camera in that direction.

The two-month-old baby raccoons, gradually developing their bodies, were now able to engage in more activities. They were very curious about the outside world, lively and playful!

One baby raccoon hung on the edge of the nesting box, its claws gripping the rough tree bark, resembling Spider-Man, hanging steadily, while another peeked out of the hole, looking at its sibling.

"Oh, this young age climbing trees is impressive!"

"Will they fall down?"

Fang Ye said, "Even if they fall, it's okay, it's not high, and there's grass below as a cushion. Natural recovery is all that's needed. For wild animals, falling a bit when young is normal. Just think, a baby giraffe has to fall from a 2-meter height at birth, and they still live well.

Of course, if they fall out of the nest in the wild, that's a different story, they might get eaten by another animal."

"Haha, giraffes have it tough!"

Fang Ye explained, "When red pandas climb down from trees, they go headfirst, and raccoons' hind legs can rotate, so they can climb forward or backward, they are very flexible."

As he spoke, he saw the baby raccoon climbing down a bit, then turning its body slowly and starting to climb up again.

The mother raccoon wasn't around, and the baby was a bit scared, so it only dared to move on the tree!

At the entrance of the nesting box, you could see two baby raccoons crowded together, playfully fighting and nibbling on each other's ears.

The raccoon mother had been attracted to the ice block earlier, taking a few bites before giving up when she found the fruit chunks were frozen. She returned to continue looking after her babies.

Since their regular food was not just ice blocks, they had food hidden in various corners.

Seeing the raccoon mother return, the little ones were instantly happy, those in the nesting box gathered around to greet her, and those on the tree climbed back down, chirping happily.

The raccoon mother and the cubs spent some tender moments together, and she picked up one cub by the back of its neck to climb down.

She carried it to a spot on the tree trunk slightly above the ground, stood up, supported the cub's bottom with her arm, and bit the cub's side to lift it onto the tree.

Curious, the netizens asked, "What is she doing?"

Fang Ye chuckled, "Isn't it obvious? She's teaching her cub to climb trees. Maybe this cub is a bit timid and reluctant to climb, so she's giving it some lessons!"

"Wow, is this for real?"

"Incredible!"

Fang Ye said, "What's so incredible about it? Teaching offspring is not unique to humans. Young birds learn how to fly and sing from their parents, young tigers learn how to hunt from their parents. Most skills are learned after birth."

The baby raccoon, held by the mother's neck, felt a bit powerless!

Its body leaned back, although its hind legs were pushing against the tree bark, its front paws weren't up.

The raccoon mother, holding the cub sideways, also started feeling tired, and her body trembled slightly.

She gently placed the cub on the grass, licked its head, and rested for a moment before picking it up again by the back of its neck, cradling it under its armpits, and lifting it up!

This time, the cub's front paws were on the tree bark, but its hind legs weren't.

The raccoon mother, in a clumsy posture, tried to hold the cub for a while, but had to reluctantly put it down again and stand up herself, her front paws on the tree bark, turning her head, as if saying, "Watch me! Watch how Mom climbs trees!"

With a gentle leap, she jumped onto the tree, giving a little bump to the nearby cub, and sat on the grass.

The raccoon mother then turned her body and jumped down, continuing to demonstrate, "Look, look at Mom!"

The cub, either discouraged from the two failed attempts or simply not interested in climbing trees, just lay on the grass.

The raccoon mother nudged the cub's chin with her paw, "You have to straighten up!"

"Hahaha, it refuses to climb!"

"Mom is so patient and hardworking!"

"It seems that whether it's humans or other animals, raising children is not easy!"

"The raccoon mother is saying, 'I'm exhausted dealing with this little troublemaker!'"

"Just give it a scolding!"

Netizens watched with great interest as the raccoon mother taught her cub to climb, appreciating her efforts.

After the raccoon mother's persistent efforts, she once again picked up the cub and placed it on the tree. This time, the cub finally hung on.

Although it was just hanging and not climbing, it was still considered progress!

"Ohhhhh!"

"Not easy!"

At that moment, a mischievous little one climbed down from the tree, wanting to run off and play on the side. The raccoon mother noticed and quickly put down the instructed cub, hurriedly trying to chase after the wandering child.

Not all the residents in the raccoon enclosure were good-natured, and it would be a problem if the child was bullied.

At their current age, they were still a bit young, but in another month, they would be able to move around more freely.

Fortunately, at that moment, the raccoon father returned, seemingly bringing back some fruits!

Several cubs tasted the delicacies, happily chirping, then followed their parents' lead to play nearby.

Raccoons also raised their young together with both parents.

"Oh, that's lovely!"

"What a cute family!"

"I really want to see the baby red panda cubs grow up quickly and be able to come out and play."

Fang Ye smiled, "The baby red panda cubs will also need about two months before they can come out to play. They should be on display during the National Day holiday! You can come to our zoo during the National Day and see them for yourself.

By the way, the baby red panda cubs' names have not been decided yet. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to send them in the live chat or leave a message in our inbox."