‘Rab’ the raccoon’s owner appeals for safe return

The mystery over the appearance of ‘Rab’ the raccoon has been solved!
The raccoon which was found at a house in Ballymena.The raccoon which was found at a house in Ballymena.
The raccoon which was found at a house in Ballymena.

The owner of the mischievous mammal has come forward to appeal for the safe return of the animal.

Richard Potter, of local pet shop Jungle World, contacted the Times after he saw our earlier story, where a Ballymena man told of his surprise after seeing the raccoon on his garage roof, close to the town centre.

“He has been missing for around six weeks. We have had a couple of sightings but nothing recently until the story appeared on the Ballymena Times website,” explained Richard.

The inquisitive animal made his break during building work on a new enclosure at the Linenhall Street complex.

“This raccoon scraped the mortar away from around the stone and got out the cavity in the wall.

“It was quite an unpredictable escape - we should have called him Houdini!

“He is part of a pack of eight raccoons which I had brought in but I only had him a couple of days before he made his ‘Great Escape’.

“He is a male, aged around 20 months, and he is the father of young raccoons.

People shouldn’t be frightened if they see it - he’s actually quite friendly. I bought him from a woman in Belfast who kept him as a pet,” added Richard.

Anyone who spots ‘Rab’ should contact Richard on 2565 4485.

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