We don’t give animals enough credit for being sensitive, loving creatures. Even creatures that aren’t domesticated are still capable of understanding grief and offering their own version of care to other living things. Take, for instance, a baby raccoon named Jasper. After he was rescued by Carrie Long, a wildlife rehabilitator from Texas Fawn and Friends, she realized just how full of love these little beings could be.
- Jasper was abandoned by his mother. He was found during a rainstorm hiding in a storm drain, trying to stay dry and safe. He was soaking wet and all alone at only 3 weeks old. Thankfully, Long was there to take him in.
- They weren’t sure for a while if Jasper was going to make it. He hadn’t been fed or looked after in goodness knows how long, and for a while, the people looking after him weren’t sure if he was going to make it. Thankfully, with plenty of care, Jasper bounced back and began to thrive.
- As an adult, Jasper began to help other animals at the sanctuary. Texas Fawn and Friends is home to 75 deer, and one orphaned fawn was in a very bad way as she’d recently lost her mother. Hope was sad and alone, which is where Jasper came in to help.
- Jasper and Hope became quick friends. Not only that, but Jasper’s upbeat personality had a knock-on effect on Hope, who began feeling cheerier when the little raccoon was around.
- Every day, Jasper comes out to give her a bit of love. He runs to Hope and gives her a big hug and loves licking her face, cuddling with her, and simply being close. Hope seems to enjoy the interactions as well.
- Hope has learned to deal with Jasper’s enthusiasm. He can sometimes seem as if he’s getting a bit too exciting when offering her affection, but Hope doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest. “He sees her every day,” Long told My Modern Met. “In the evening, she comes and lays next to him. They’ve got a cool relationship going on.”
- This is certainly one of the most special animal friendships we’ve seen. Hope and Jasper are BFFs and have formed an unbreakable bond. They’re so lucky to have found one another!
Related Stories from Bolde
- Psychology says people who’ve drunk their coffee the exact same way for decades aren’t creatures of habit — that one unexamined ritual is usually holding the door for a dozen others they’ve never thought to question
- Psychology says the most accurate signs of high intelligence are almost always misread — because real intelligence rarely looks like confidence or quick answers; it looks like pausing, second-guessing, and sitting with a question, which most people read as slowness or doubt
- Ask enough former gifted kids how it turned out, and it’s almost never the burnout people expect — it’s never learning how to try at something, because for years they never had to
