Ambassador Raspberry

This is Raspberry. She was found alone on the side the road in a raspberry bush. A deputy patrolling at 5 am miraculously spotted her. She was so small, her ears still crumpled, it was estimated she was only 8-10 days old. She was brought into the care of our mammal team who reached out to Ringtail biologists and experts who have studied and researched ringtails extensively, focusing on a group of them found in The Sutter Buttes.

Human contact was limited with hopes Raspberry could be returned to the wild, but all the experts agreed she was found so young she would not survive in the wild without having learned any survival skills from her mother and family.

Consider yourself lucky if you have spotted a ringtail in the wild. Nocturnal, shy, and secretive, ringtails stay hidden in dens, rocky crevices, and tree hollows to avoid predators. They are mostly carnivores, preying on smaller rodents, birds, eggs, invertebrates, but also love many kinds of berries. Their semi-retractable claws make them agile climbers of trees, ledges, and the rocky cliffs they call home.

Miners used to keep and domesticate them to be used as “mousers” so you might hear them referred to as “Miners Cats” but they are definitely wild animals and would not make a good pet. Raspberry is now full grown at 2.5 pounds and 17 inches of her 31-inch body length is that incredible striped tail!