Join the Jimothy Fan Club!
Courtesy of Kiana Hall
Although he is physically different from most raccoons, Jimothy is thriving.
An unlikely celebrity has found international stardom this summer: a raccoon with a rare disability. The wild raccoon, who is affectionately named “Jimothy,” has a congenital spine condition that gives his body an unusually short, round shape. Jimothy’s fans admire his ability to adapt and thrive despite his physical differences.
“It’s crazy how instantly popular Jimothy has become.… On the face of it, it is just a fun-looking little raccoon,” said Marcie Logsdon, a wildlife veterinarian at Washington State University (WSU), to the WSU Insider. “It’s really neat because it gives us an opportunity to talk about wildlife in urban areas that people are encountering on a daily basis.”
Courtesy of Kiana Hall
Area resident Kiana Hall captured this video of Jimothy.
Before his online fame, Jimothy was a local legend among the residents of Ballard, a suburban neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, where his gangly form would appear in people’s yards. Logsdon and other wildlife experts think Jimothy may have a rare condition called short spine syndrome, which causes the spine to compress, shortening the body. This can limit an animal’s movement and make it difficult to survive in the wild.
“In the WSU wildlife rehabilitation department, we’ve never seen a wild animal present with short spine syndrome. What makes Jimothy’s case unique is that he seems to be adapting to it,” said Logsdon.
Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Veterinarian Marcie Logsdon, seen here feeding a pronghorn calf, rescues wild animals with the goal of releasing them.
Videos of Jimothy expertly running and climbing highlight his ability to live a normal raccoon life, avoid predators, and find plenty of food. However, now Logsdon has a new concern for Jimothy’s safety: humans getting too close to make videos of the raccoon or attempting to feed him.
Even though Jimothy is cute, he is still wild, and wild animals need space to live their lives, explained Logsdon.
“If Jimothy inspires more people to appreciate the animals living around them, that’s a positive outcome,” said Logsdon. “We just hope that appreciation comes with respect, patience, and enough distance to allow wild animals to stay wild.”
Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine
The Seattle Mariners baseball team produced a custom “Jimothy” trading card.
