Heartwarming Clip Shows Moment Baby Raccoon is Rescued From Lake

A baby raccoon has melted hearts after a video of his rescue and recovery went viral on social media last week.

In the video, shared on TikTok on Saturday by the man that rescued him, under the username Rhino7.3, he explains that while relaxing on his porch, he noticed something swimming in circles across the lake. When he went to check he found a baby raccoon.

He said: "He was struggling, he was just about to give out he couldn't see where he was going, so we get him in the boat, and you can tell how weak he was, he was struggling to stay above water."

"We don't know how he ended up in the water, but he was not gonna make it much longer. So we let him play around in the yard a little bit, and he growls a few times and also he's doing that little cry that you can hear, I think it's him calling for his mom. So, he ends up hiding underneath our dock, and he stays there two nights in a row, waiting on his mom to come and find him.

"So, we decided we needed to do something because he wasn't eating, he was just staying in one spot, latched onto our dock. So, I talked to one of my friends that takes in animals, and they decided that they were up for the challenge, to take him in and try to raise him up, so I let them come and get him," he said.

Newsweek reached out to Rhino7.3 via TikTok comments on Tuesday.

According to the Web MD website, raccoons are intelligent animals that can solve problems and have good memories. However, taking one from the wild probably won't have positive results and is most likely illegal depending on where you live.

It is only legal in 16 states to own pet raccoons, so you need to find out if your state allows them before bringing one into your home.

The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 4 million views and 427,200 likes on the platform.

One user, Left Is Best, commented: "Please call a wildlife rehab. Raccoons aren't pets." And BlueThunder222 said: "I've had 3 pet raccoons in my life. They are so smart and fun. I can't imagine getting him out of the water and not immediately putting a towel on him."

Anicolette1987 wrote: "Bro we're gonna need a part 2 update on Rocky the raccoon." And CondimentSlut added: "Hims wittle shivers and hands."

Another user, Eric Officer, commented: "You rescued then gave away a perfectly good trash panda." And Barbara M commented: "Thank you for saving this life. If this happens again, please provide water and nutrition to the animal. They also need to rest b4 leaving."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.