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It's a lot smaller than a human, so it hits with a lot less kinetic energy. It's the same reason that urban cats frequently survive falls from high-rises.
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In a 1987 study of 132 cats brought to a New York City emergency veterinary clinic after falls from high-rise buildings, 90% of treated cats survived and only 37% needed emergency treatment to keep them alive. One that fell 32 stories onto concrete suffered only a chipped tooth and a collapsed lung and was released after 48 hours.
They also fall correctly, spreading out their torso and limbs to maximize air resistance, relaxing their muscles so as to avoid the likelihood of broken bones. This is instinctual, and raccoons likely share that selection-driven instinct.
Yeah I get that... But... clapping... at a raccoon...
Because humans are hard-wired to appreciate life.
Sure we need to hunt to survive, we go to war, and there is a small percentage of genuine psychopaths among us, but we see ourselves in others (empathy) and thus can appreciate the survival of another creature. Even a raccoon.
It is the root of the the altruism that confers our species's innate morality.
Sure we need to hunt to survive, we go to war, and there is a small percentage of genuine psychopaths among us, but we see ourselves in others (empathy) and thus can appreciate the survival of another creature. Even a raccoon.
It is the root of the the altruism that confers our species's innate morality.
That's not what I was really getting at. I actually love raccoons and would hate to see one DIE in such a way. My confusion was more due to the "clapping at the raccoon," which was explained well enough when compared to clapping at the end of a movie by a poster above,.
They don't weigh much, so they won't impact as hard.
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