Lake Of The Ozarks Boater Gets A Shocking Surprise When Baby Raccoons Emerge From The Hull

You know when you're driving your boat down Lake of the Ozarks, enjoying the wind on your face, and suddenly a family of raccoons crawls out onto the deck and starts partying?

Hate it when that happens.

It really did happen to a boater, according to the crew at a local service shop (who preferred to keep their names out of this wild story).

They brought the boat into the shop and it was a mess, the service guys recalled. Trash, empty bottles, leftover food... this boat had been rode hard and put up wet.

So after servicing the boat, the guys gave the vessel a good surface cleaning — good customer service! — and called it a night.

The next morning, curiously, a food wrapper was found. They didn't think much of it. The boat was re-launched, the owner picked it up, and they carried on with their day. Later they spotted a big, mama raccoon in the shop: she had clambered into some nook in the shop, clearly looking for snackies.

While they pondered what to do about mama, the boys got a phone call. On the line: a very angry, very panicked customer.

Turns out, on the boat ride home, three baby trash-pandas had climbed out of one of the boat's many storage compartments, wondering why everything had gotten so bumpy all of a sudden and also when was mom going to be back with food because the fridge was empty.

The boat owner couldn't believe the guys hadn't found the critters when they cleaned the boat. The boat service guys were scratching their heads about the same thing, but they had bigger problems to deal with — or, one bigger problem.

If you're wondering whether they were reunited... well... it depends on if you believe all raccoons go to heaven.

What's the moral of this one? We can think of three:

1. Clean your trash out of the boat. Or call Kwik Kar to do it for you. Call: 573-552-8460, Text: 573-286-5727

2. Buy a boat cover from Paradise Custom Canvas. And use it. Call 573-216-7214. Or visit ParadiseCanvas.com.

3. Make sure every critter you bring aboard has a lifejacket, and a ramp to easily get on and off the boat. And since it's the Ozarks, we won't rule out the possibility that someone actually has a pet raccoon that they bring on the boat/ Here's an article about how to build your own DIY on-off ramp for pets, no matter what species.