Howdy stranger: rambling raccoon pops in

AN ASTONISHED home-owner told how he found a raccoon hiding in his garden, 3,500 miles from its native North America.

Joe Trzebiatowski, 38, found the creature cowering in his garden in Alloa.

It had taken shelter behind his water butt during lightning storms on Tuesday evening, and was startled when Mr Trzebiatowski went out to check the container wasn't overflowing.

The discovery was so rare that when Mr Trzebiatowski called the Scottish SPCA to report he had found a raccoon, they didn't believe him at first, insisting it must be a badger or polecat.

But the racoon, an adult male, is now recovering at the charity's Lothian Animal Welfare Centre in Balerno, Edinburgh, where staff have named it Bandit because of its distinctive black "mask" and reputation for stealing food from bins.

MrTrzebiatowski said: "There was terrible thunder and lightning, and afterwards I was conscious that my water butt would be overflowing, so I went out to check. I bent down behind my shed and saw these eyes peering at me.

"I jumped, and it jumped.

"It was soaked and cowering, and looked quite sorry for itself.

"But straight away I recognised it as a raccoon.

"I called the Scottish SPCA but they didn't believe me and said it must be a badger or polecat.

"But when the inspector arrived he was thrilled, and admitted I was 'right enough'. He'd never seen one before and said it had made his month."

MrTrzebiatowski has no idea how the animal got in his garden, which is completely surrounded by a 6ft tall fence. He is also curious to discover where it came from.

He added: "My wife Sally, and kids, Jamie, who's 18 months, Sam, five, and Ewan, nine, came out to have a look, and it yawned and took a stroll across my garden to the rose bed, where it sheltered under a bush.

"It had a cute face and my youngest, Jamie, couldn't take his eyes off it."

He added: "I got the impression it was used to people, but when it yawned it showed off its teeth and claws, and it looked quite dangerous, with its big fangs."

The Scottish SPCA has only once before picked up a lost raccoon in Scotland, and said there had been no raccoons been reported missing recently.

The charity has now called on public help to track down where Bandit came from.

Scottish SPCA Chief Inspector Paul Anderson said: "Our local ambulance driver responded to the call and presumed that it would either be an injured badger or possibly even a hoax, but true enough, when he arrived the raccoon was sitting in the garden, lost and distressed.

"We then transported him to our Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre where he is resting and recovering from his ordeal."