A Nevada family got a hilarious surprise when they checked their Ring camera and discovered a masked “porch pirate” had broken into a delivery sitting outside their home.
But this thief wasn’t human.
The culprit was a raccoon.
Mike Peck said his family in Reno first realized something was wrong when they went outside to bring in a recently delivered box of dog food.
The package had been moved, and a large hole had been ripped through the side.
Curious about what happened, the family checked their doorbell camera.
That’s when they spotted the raccoon.
The video shows the animal wandering onto the porch late Thursday night and quickly becoming interested in the box.
After sniffing around for only a short time, the raccoon began tearing through the cardboard.
It then managed to rip into the bag of dog food inside and help itself to the delivery.
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Unfortunately, the family decided the food could no longer be safely used.
“Unfortunately, the dogs didn’t get their food since the raccoon got into the bag, and they can carry diseases, so we tossed the entire box to be safe,” Peck told Storyful.
It was probably the safest choice.
Raccoons can carry bacteria and parasites, and food contaminated with their saliva or other bodily fluids should not be given to pets.
The clever animals are also especially well equipped for this kind of nighttime raid.
Raccoons have highly dexterous front paws that allow them to manipulate objects with surprising precision.
They can open containers, move lids and work their way into bags and boxes.
They also have an excellent sense of smell, making a package full of dog food sitting on a porch particularly tempting.
Raccoons have also become increasingly comfortable living near people.
As residential areas expand into wildlife habitats, the adaptable animals have learned how to find easy meals in neighborhoods, including trash cans, pet food and apparently doorstep deliveries.
For people who regularly have pet food delivered, bringing packages inside quickly can help prevent similar surprises.
Using a garage, covered delivery area or secured package box can also make it more difficult for curious wildlife to get inside.
As for the Peck family, their dogs may have lost a bag of food, but the raccoon walked away with one very successful late-night snack.
And the family was left with a Ring video showing just how clever these little masked bandits can be.