Troopers save trio of baby raccoons from sweltering dumpster in western Arizona
LAKE HAVASU CITY (AZFamily) — Three baby raccoons learned the hard way that dumpster diving isn’t for amateur bandits, and it took two state troopers to bail them out of a Lake Havasu City dumpster.
Two Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers were training the next generation of law enforcement at the Western Arizona Law Enforcement Academy Thursday when they stumbled onto a case that definitely wasn’t in the textbook.
According to DPS, the troopers were helping recruits work through mock collision investigations outside the academy when they heard something odd coming from the parking lot dumpster: scratching, whining, and unmistakable sounds of distress.
Inside, they found three baby raccoons, formally known as kits, that had climbed in but couldn’t get back out.
Recruits told troopers the animals had likely been stuck since that morning’s physical training session, meaning they may have spent hours trapped in the heat without food or water.
Thursday’s high in Lake Havasu City reached 109 degrees, with an overnight low of 82, according to the National Weather Service.
One trooper grabbed a catchpole from his patrol car and safely lifted all three raccoons out of the dumpster.
“Your State Troopers are committed to the safety of all our citizens of Arizona — even if they’re trash pandas,” DPS said in a statement, thanking the troopers for “upholding the value of Courteous Vigilance with our furry friends.”
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