Meet Periwinkle, The One-Handed Raccoon Who Brings Her Baby By At Dinnertime
Raccoons often elicit strong reactions in people. Some view the critters as cute backyard visitors — with their black masks and dexterous paws — while others disparage them as bandits and trash pandas, little more than vermin with bushy striped tails. One kind-hearted homeowner in the Pacific Northwest is clearly in the pro-raccoon camp.
@codingsqt Periwinkle is still coming by with babies occasionally, but only for very quick outings. She has come with just one baby the last 3 routes, hopefully just taking the babies solo for learning purposes. She's a great mom ❤️ #animalconnection #raccoonsoftiktok #disabledraccoon #missingpaw #wildlife
A TikTok video that's been viewed more than 1.6 million times shows a mama raccoon named Periwinkle, who's missing one of her front paws, as she ventures near the home's rear door, looking for food. "When a disabled raccoon that's a new mom to 2 babies is hungry, you feed her ♥️," is written on top of the video. Similar to Jimothy, the viral "mutant" raccoon taking Seattle by storm, Periwinkle is capturing hearts all over the internet. One netizen commented, "I would 💯💯💯💯 feed her anytime!!!!❤️❤️❤️" Another person observed, "In these difficult times we will either become better or worse people. We get to decide."
The hard life of a raccoon who's missing a paw
An earlier video shows the homeowner building a safe, shaded spot for Periwinkle and her two babies, but a later video concludes that only one of Periwinkle's babies has survived. One viewer wrote, "You're a good momma Peri. I'm sorry for your loss 💔." On a happier note, the loving mama raccoon seems to have found herself a boyfriend who sometimes helps Periwinkle care for her rambunctious baby, and the whole group occasionally stops by for a meal.
Periwinkle's life is definitely challenging, given her missing paw. Raccoons don't have opposable thumbs, but their front two paws working together usually allow them to hold, lift, and twist items almost as well as humans can. Raccoons typically use their front paws and sharp claws to investigate and pry open food sources — including garbage cans and bird feeders — and climb trees to escape predators. These nocturnal animals use their front paws to douse their food before eating it. Different from washing, this dunking action provides extra sensory inputs to the raccoon, allowing the animal to learn more about the size, shape, and texture of the food it's going to consume. Periwinkle has had to learn to make do with just one front paw.
Want to see more sweet raccoons like Periwinkle? Check out these 20 chubby raccoons who ate all the food, and this mother raccoon and her babies who have the cutest hidden home in Central Park.