Raccoon stows away from US to Belarus in shipped car

A raccoon survived the transatlantic journey from the US to Belarus, hiding in a car inside a shipping container.

Belarus customs officials who discovered it on Jan 14 have no idea how the creature, which they nicknamed Senya, survived the months-long journey with no access to food or water.

It was immediately placed in the care of veterinarians in Oshmyany district, according to a Jan 16 statement from Grodno regional customs office.

“The unexpected passenger in a car... developed a taste for chicken eggs and a friendly disposition towards people,” the statement said.

Senya was found napping on the dashboard of a brand-new vehicle as it was being unloaded and cleared for processing at the Kamenny Loh customs clearance facility near the Polish border.

In an update on Senya’s condition on Jan 20, the Belarusian State Customs Committee said the raccoon has gone from being calm and semi-drowsy when it was first found to being very active.

The mammal’s space at the veterinary clinic is “no longer enough” for it.

“He now takes his meals and conducts his ‘athletic training’ outside it,” the customs committee said.

“He is friendly and well-mannered. New additions to his food preferences – crab sticks and fresh grapes – have joined the chicken eggs he loved from day one.”

Officials are now weighing the next steps for Senya, as its quarantine is due to end on Feb 3.

Options include releasing it into a forested area and giving it a new home at the Grodno Zoo.