Wildlife: The Heidi Chronicles: They're Here at Last!, 1 by DreamOfSpring

DreamOfSpring wrote:
Some weeks back there was an incident in which HRH was attacked by an unidentified raccoon and a rather nasty fight insued. Photo link for those who may not have been with us then: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=3819215
Around the same time I had discovered what appeared to be a young unidentified male among the then burgeoning night shift group and HRH had shown up with a nasty cut and scars around his nose and mouth.

Putting all of this information together, we had surmised that the raccoon seen attacking HRH that night was also the young male I had seen and was the one who had given HRH the fat lip. As we have learned to love the big, gentle teddy bear HRH, we were concerned that this aggressive, youngster might chase him off and become the new guy in town. We weren't eager to loose our HRH.

Recently, while "developing" the photos one evening I discoved some very good news which I think changes the interpretation of what was happening back then. I've been wanting to share this with you but haven't been able to find the time to stitch the revealing photos and do the post, so here it is:

Below is a stiched photo showing the raccoon that attacked HRH that night (photo reference to original posted photo: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=3819274 ) on the left and a recent photo of DIVA on the right. That's right - Diva! I am now all but certain that it was Diva who attacked HRH that night.

If you look at the photo you will see that the face and ears are the same, the body posture is very similiar, and the real clue for me was the black forarms, something I don't see with the others. Actually, I've since found that Diva's forearms are the "normal" color until wet; then they appear black. Even the size is consistant with Diva - not to mention the appauling behavior.

This explains a lot. It explains why the other "male" seemed to have exagerated nipples. It explains why the other "male" was so small and yet HRH did not kick its butt and drive it out of the area. I suspect that Diva had been trying to push HRH out of the area and away from her kit. In fact, a few nights ago and after I had made this observation, Diva again accosted HRH. On that occasion he got away from her and came over to eat by me. Until recently, I had only seen Diva once or twice so she was not so comfortable around me. Still, when she came back (from the fight) to the feeding area in front of the pool, she kept rearing up and looking over the baracade at HRH eating there. It was clear she wasn't happy, and it looked like she might run over there to attack him again any minute. I spoke harshly to her. That would divert her attention momentarily, then she'd begin to focus obsessively on him again, standing up, plunging, etc. I spoke harshly to her a few more time trying to let her know that she couldn't come over by me an fight with him. Eventually, she dropped it and went back to eating her food. This incident seemed to further confirm my new theory. All of this seems quite consistant with Diva's "scatter-brained", aggressive, poorly socialized behavior.