Home Depot workers recently had an incredible surprise when one lifted up a bag of mulch and discovered a pile of baby raccoons snuggled up underneath!
It takes a true hero to help out a group of tiny (and adorable) animals who are just trying to catch a few Z's.
Like the man who rescued an abandoned baby squirrel off the ground, these Home Depot employees had a rare opportunity to make a difference in the lives of some wild critters in need.
The store's employees discovered the cuddled-up pile of baby raccoons inside a pallet of mulch, and quickly set about doing everything they could to keep them safe!
Baby raccoons, also called kits, need to stay close to their mother for the first few months of life.
The employees at the store didn't see an adult raccoon, but they knew she must have been nearby, keeping an eye on the babies.
An employee pulled a sack of mulch off the top of the pallet, and discovered the cuddled-up critters inside!
The clever raccoons had burrowed their way into a hollow at the center of the pallet. It looks like they also opened up a pack or two of mulch to make their nest.
Here, you can see the three itty-bitty raccoon babies, or kits, burrowed inside.
The mulch was presumably stacked up outside in the garden section of the department store, ready for people to grab and haul away in their cars.
This time of year, people are gardening a lot, so mulch moves quickly and is replaced fairly often.
Mulch and other outdoor supplies are usually left outside overnight, so the raccoons may have snuck in under cover of darkness!
A close-up look inside the pallet reveals three very cute and fluffy raccoon kits inside, snoozing.
They are very young, and not ready to be separated from their mom full-time.
It's likely that she made the nest and dropped them off, then took off to look for her own meal, confident that she had found a safe place for her babies.
Once people started showing up at the hardware store, the mama raccoon must have realized her miscalculation; her babies were surrounded by paying customers and she was unable to get to them.
Fortunately, the Home Depot employees stepped up to help the worried mama out, though she may not realize it.
The workers immediately sectioned off the pallet, to make sure nobody would disturb the sleeping kits.
Workers put up a sign explaining the situation to anyone who might be tempted to interfere.
The sign reads, "Please DO NOT DISTURB this pallet! Baby raccoons inside nest in middle!"
They also got in contact with local wildlife authorities to make sure the kits could be quietly reintroduced to the wild with their mom.
The appropriate authorities set up a special humane trap for the mama raccoon and her babies so the whole family could be released back into the wild and build a new home in a less busy place!
Here's to the happy family!
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