Credit: Facebook
Authorities Issue Warning Over Jimothy
Authorities have issued a stark warning over Jimothy, the wild raccoon from Seattle who has become an online sensation overnight.
His stardom was launched when Kiana Hall, a resident in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, spotted him on an evening walk with her husband.
Hall decided to capture a video of the raccoon, which she affectionately named Jimothy, before posting the clip on Instagram.
In the voiceover, she can be heard asking: “What am I looking at?” before announcing that she and her husband had been ‘graced with the presence of Jimothy’ on their 13th anniversary.
Why the internet is so obsessed with Jimothy
While no one could’ve predicted the levels of fame Jimothy would reach in such a short period of time, his popularity likely has something to do with his rather unusual appearance.
The animal is believed to have a rare genetic condition called short spine syndrome, caused by a compressed vertebrae.
This condition doesn’t always cause pain, but it can impact an animal’s mobility – though this doesn’t currently appear to be an issue for Jimothy, who has been filmed running and jumping with ease.
However, it does create quite a distinctive body shape, with his online fans comparing him to a Furby, a Pokémon or even the world’s cutest cryptid.
Since Hall’s video went viral, Seattle locals have been out trying to spot a glimpse of the world famous raccoon and merch has even gone on sale online.
Among his legions of fans, at least two people are believed to have gotten tattoos of Jimothy.
There are now more than 1,000 listings on Etsy relating to the raccoon, including tote bags, t-shirts and stickers.
Many of them feature pictures of Jimothy alongside slogans like ‘Hot Jimothy Summer,’ ‘stay weird,’ and ‘doing my best.’
Jimothy has a family
The adorable wild creature might have unknowingly stumbled into stardom, but outside of his celebrity status, he is said to have a loving family.
A local resident called Ben Trammell has shared a video of what appears to be a baby version of Jimothy with his family.
According to Trammell, the raccoon was born in a group of cedar trees in one of his neighbors’ back yard, with residents seeing him ‘almost daily for months’.
“He was so small and clumsy but his mother and siblings were always so patient and caring, keeping him from falling and sometimes just carrying him,” he wrote in the post.
“I eventually widened out the rat holes under the fence so he wouldn’t have to walk the parapet every night.”
Trammell said he ‘never had high hopes’ for Jimothy’s longevity, ‘but every time we saw him it brought so much joy and a fair amount of amusement.’
Tragically, when the tenants who had been living in the home moved out, the landlord removed most of the cedars where the raccoons had been living.
“I heard the saws then immediately saw the whole family scrambling in the daylight,” Trammell continued.
“Sadly worried that would be the last we saw of him until this spring when he scared the h*ll out of my Uber driver just a few blocks south of the house.”
Authorities issue warning over Jimothy
As Jimothy’s popularity continues to grow, authorities have issued a warning for anyone who might be lucky enough to spot the raccoon in real life.
People in the animal’s hometown of Ballard are being warned not to approach Jimothy and certainly not to try and touch him.
The official advice from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is to ‘leave him alone’.
Although no one can say for certain, they have highlighted that Jimothy appears to be fit and healthy as he is eating normally, appears alert and is moving much better than expected for his condition.
It has also been noted that he is surviving well living in an urban environment, so members of the public should not try and feed him, approach him, pick him up or do anything to try and encourage him to interact.
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