MONTICELLO, Ill., (WCIA) — You’ve heard of momma bears and tiger moms protecting their young, but what happens when a raccoon and vulture mother go head to head?
A trail camera at Allerton Park shows a turkey vulture minding its business in its nest inside its hollow tree when a big raccoon climbs up the side.
You’d think she was going for the eggs, but really her babies were inside. She wanted to get her little ones out after they fell from their home in the tree above. Meanwhile, the vulture was confused and protecting her eggs. That led to a scuffle.
Alex Lourash, Allerton’s Natural Areas Manager, said they’ve had this camera up for three years but have never seen anything like this before. He believes the raccoon nest simply wasn’t strong enough to hold them all.
“Turkey vultures really don’t go after living things,” Lourash said. “They find the dead animals on the road or in the woods. The real threat is the raccoon to the eggs. A raccoon can kill a turkey vulture but normally they don’t go seeking a turkey vulture to kill or eat.”
He said the raccoon was there to specifically get her babies. The video shows her rescuing them in her mouth and bringing them back up the tree.
Lourash said the vultures have since moved their vest. He thinks the raccoons are living somewhere new too.
For more of the video, check out this link. Allerton posts regular wildlife camera videos on their social media pages as well.