Oakland Man Hears Odd Sounds From Trash Bin, Then Spots Ultra Rare Creature Looking Back At Him
It started like any other day for Dana Berry. He was out at Lake Merritt in Oakland, volunteering with a cleanup crew called the Trash Falcons.
All he had planned was to fill bags with litter. But little did he know that something incredible was about to happen.
While hauling out a large cardboard bin, Dana heard a strange sound. Not quite a cat. Not quite a dog. More like a little growl, soft but sharp.
Curious, he looked down, expecting maybe a rat or an opossum. But what he saw made him freeze.
Inside the box was the tiniest little creature with white fur, wide eyes, and the most startled expression. For a second, Dana wasn’t sure what it was.
Then he realized that it was a raccoon. But not just any raccoon. This one was all white, like a little ghost made of fluff.
The little one stared up at him, clearly scared and unsure of what to do. Dana shared in an interview:
“Lo and behold, there was a little guy looking back up at me.”
His fur looked silky and his tiny paws were curled up like he was bracing for the worst.
It must’ve felt terrifying, being trapped like that with so many unfamiliar sounds and smells around.
Instead of panicking, Dana gently moved the box over to a quieter patch of bushes nearby and gave the raccoon space and a chance to escape safely, sharing:
“I lifted him up carefully and I was tempted to call some of the other Falcons over, but then I thought, well, the poor guy is probably terrified.”
The raccoon didn’t waste a single second. The moment he realized he had a clear path out, he scurried out of the box and darted straight up a nearby tree.
Within seconds, he was gone, hidden among the leaves, as if he’d never been there at all.
Dana stood there for a moment, completely stunned. He’d expected a typical cleanup day, not a brush with one of nature’s rarest little wonders.
It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it truly was. Seeing a white raccoon out in the wild? That’s not something you come across every day.
Turns out, this raccoon is called a leucistic raccoon.
Leucism is a condition that causes animals to lose pigment in their fur, making them appear pale or completely white. It’s different from albinism.
And the big difference is that leucistic animals still have normal-colored eyes, unlike albinos, who usually have pink or red eyes.
That’s why this little guy had that snowy coat but didn’t have that trademark albino look. Just soft white fur and curious dark eyes.
It’s funny how nature always finds a way to surprise us, even in the middle of the mess.
One moment you’re surrounded by trash, and the next, you’re face-to-face with something rare and kind of magical.
That little white raccoon, barely the size of a football, showed up out of nowhere, scared and wide-eyed, and just like that, disappeared back into the trees.
But for those few seconds, he brought a spark of wonder to downtown Oakland. And somewhere around Lake Merritt, there’s now a ghostly little explorer, probably still a little spooked, but finally back where he belongs.
