Strange animal caught in trap turned out to be an unusual-looking raccoon

When an Oglethorpe County man made a call to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources recently to report he caught an animal he could not identify, it prompted a visit from a wildlife expert. “He described it to me (over the phone) and I couldn’t get a grasp on what he had,” DNR Wildlife Technician Nick Holbrooks said.

After noticing that an animal was making repeated visits to his trash can, the resident of the Salem community south of Crawford set out a live trap to catch whatever was getting into his garbage. After receiving the call, Holbrooks and Conservation Officer Sgt. Brian Carter stopped by to take a look at his captive. “There’s no doubt it was a raccoon,” Holbrooks said.
But this racoon didn’t have the bandit-face markings and the striped tail. This fellow had a coat of blonde fur giving it an almost fox-like appearance. The experts also ruled out the possibility of the raccoon being an albino. “This raccoon was not albino as it lacked certain traits of albinism,” Holbrooks said.
“I’m not sure whether to call this a recessive gene trait showing or just a rare occurrence,” he said. “I have heard of and seen mounted specimens, but this is the first live one I’ve seen.” Holbrooks and Carter marveled over the animal’s appearance and agreed it would make a coveted prize for a racoon hunter. The trapper took the raccoon to another rural section of the county and set it free, so for now the blonde one continues to roam through the night in Oglethorpe County.