A Raccoon mother carries her youngster…upright, as photographed by Coastal photographer Siegfried Matull

I'll let Siegfried tell the story:

“Every year we look forward to the moment when the animals and birds show up for the first time with their babies. Earlier in July it finally happened – a Raccoon mother and her tiny two babies came to our property. All of a sudden one of the little ones quickly ran away, but the mother followed immediately. We could not believe our eyes when she picked up the baby with her front legs and her teeth, and then returned it to the other baby, walking upright on her hind legs. We have never seen that before! When she reached the other baby she dropped her or him down, right next to the other sibling.

Thanks to Siegfried for sharing his photo with us here. To see another of Siegfried's Raccoon photos, this one with a mom and four little masked bandits, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/09/08/charming-photo-by-coastal-photographer-siegfried-matull-of-a-raccoon-family/