Walkies on the wild side! Gran with a pet raccoon
A PET being walked by its owner would not normally turn the heads of shoppers in a city centre.
But this animal lover has a rather unorthodox choice of furry companion at the end of a lead – a raccoon.
Rosemary Bean takes her pet, a female raccoon called Rhara, for a stroll because ‘she likes getting out and about and meeting people’.
However, Rhara isn’t the only unusual animal that Mrs Bean keeps at her home in Rumney on the outskirts of Cardiff – the grandmother of three has another raccoon, Raccy, and two skunks, Choiyo and Flower.
Mrs Bean said yesterday: ‘It was the first time I had taken Rhara into Cardiff city centre, but we take a walk to the local shop most days.
‘It should only take us about ten minutes to the corner shop but takes us a lot longer because we are always getting stopped. People love to come up and ask questions about what she is like and if they can touch her.’
News of Mrs Bean’s excursions with Rhara come after yesterday’s Mail carried a picture of a raccoon, believed to be an escaped pet, scavenging from rubbish bins in Manchester.
Teacher Nuala Burke spotted it while walking her dog in Levenshulme and at first mistook the black and white mammal for a badger. Rac- coons, native to North America where they are considered pests, can grow to 80lb and can carry diseases including distemper that are a threat to other animals.
Mrs Bean says she first became interested in unusual pets after seeing the cartoon skunk Flower in Bambi. ‘One night I was on the internet and I saw someone who bred skunks had one for sale,’ she said. ‘Then I got a second one and called it Pepe Le Pew. I had three until recently.’
Her first raccoon was Raccy, who she rehomed. When it was suggested he needed a companion she found Rhara. ‘The only problem is they don’t like each other, so Raccy is kept in a large pen in the garden and Rhara lives in the conservatory,’ she said.
‘Choiyo and Flower also fight, so Choiyo stays in the room with me and Flower likes her cage because she is quite old and sleeps most of the time.’