TWRA saves baby raccoon on Old Hickory Lake

DAVIDSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is credited with saving a raccoon’s life after it was found swimming in the middle of Old Hickory Lake.

A woman and her boyfriend reported something moving near some logs in the lake. They discovered that it was a raccoon doggy paddling.

The couple gave the raccoon a pool noodle, which it clung onto, as they flagged down TWRA agents.

Sergeant Nathan Karch thought his fellow agents were conducting a sobriety test with boaters and pulled alongside them to help.

Although he doesn’t consider himself a hero, he said that he did believe the baby raccoon would have died had help come much later.

“Unfortunately, that day it was a very highly trafficked day,” Karch said. “It was busy. Where we found it was pretty much the dead center of the lake. You’re looking at a 200-yard swim either way, so odds were not it its favor.”

Video shared by the woman who initially stopped to help the raccoon showed the animal snarling and hissing at Karch as he grabbed it by the back of the neck.

“It was aggressive, but it was just right there where it was kind of cornered,” Karch said. “I could maneuver my body to get over it, so I felt comfortable grabbing it with my bare hands. It’s very much like a kitten where you can kind of grab the loose skin on the back of the neck. They are not in a state of paralysis, but they don’t squirm around as much and they can’t reach around and bite you,” Karch said.

Karch said that this wasn’t the first time he’s seen animals in the water. He recalled young deer unknowingly sneaking onto barges and house boats, only to be found later in the middle of the lake.

Thankfully, the baby raccoon was one struggling animal he was able to help.

“We were able to take him right to shore in a wooded area and release him on a log,” Karch said. “He scurried up the bank and he was fine.”

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Although the two may not have been buddies, Karch added that he hopes the animal is back to doing what raccoons do best. The wooded area Karch took him to was next to a marina, including a restaurant and private residences.

“I know there is an abundance of food over there and you know they generally raid people’s trash cans and stuff like that looking for food,” Karch said. “I’d imagine that he’s hunting up some good grub right now.”

If you ever notice an animal stranded in the water, Karch said that you to give it a flotation device or something for it to cling onto and call for help right away. He added that boaters should take the animal to shore if they are able.

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