Carrie Long, a professional wildlife rehabilitator, received a call in 2021 about a baby raccoon in need of assistance. Long, who was cold, wet, and hungry, was alerted just in time. The three-week-old raccoon had been abandoned by his mother and was barely surviving a thunderstorm. Long adopted him and nurtured him back to health, naming him Jasper. Although the raccoon had attained adulthood and was free to depart, Jasper remained by her side.
Long’s NGO, Texas Fawn and Friends, specializes in rescuing orphaned deer. Jasper, who is now a permanent member of the family, follows her outside and meets many of the fawns in the organization’s care. But there is one deer in particular with whom he has built a close bond: Hope.
“Hope was a fawn I received in that had [also] lost her mother,” Long tells My Modern Met. “As time went on, Hope was released as she became old enough.” She was content to stay in the yard and play with Jasper when he went outside. “He loves playing with the dogs but he has so much fun with her, I guess because she’s larger than the dogs and he’s able to hold on to her!”
Long films charming videos of their bond in which Hope lies in the grass while Jasper cuddles and nuzzles her. He’s clearly smitten with her. “He really gets excited when he sees her in the yard,” Long said.
Long and her efforts at Texas Fawn and Friends have benefited many animals, including Jasper and Hope. She expects to care for over 100 fawns this year, orphans who would not survive without her. The website of Texas Fawn and Friends contains a wealth of information on the organization.
Carrie Long of Texas Fawn and Friends assisted in the rescue of a newborn raccoon. She brought him back to health and gave him the name Jasper.
As a registered wildlife rehabilitator, she takes in fawns to assist them be rescued and survive in the wild. Hope is the name of one of the fawns.
Jasper has met many of the deer at Texas Fawn and Friends, but he and Hope share a particular affinity.
In the lovely videos below, you can see them nuzzling.