A helpless raccoon was buried alive and luckily recovered by two loving children who saved his life! The dramatic rescue was captured on camera, and now the two are heroes.

Daiton, 14, and Rylen, 12, rescued the helpless animals. They and their father, Dray McMillon, had returned from a family gathering. Because their property is bordered by woods, the boys often go exploring, as they did this time. Then they came discovered a collapsed animal burrow while going through the woods. Daiton and Rylen investigated, fearing a vulnerable animal was trapped within.

A poor raccoon was caught inside, confirming their fears. The tiny animal was terrified and disoriented, and the lads knew they had to act immediately to save it. They had no idea how long the animal had been imprisoned, so every second counted. They hastened to tell their father because they were so near to home. Dray grabbed a shovel and followed his boys.

It was 2 to 3 feet down in the hole. He was only exposed on his head, and front legs said his father. “They called me right away to tell me what they found. By the time I arrived, it was panting. Sad to see this animal suffer.”

The father-son duo had to be exceedingly cautious when digging around the raccoon to avoid injuring him. They called the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for help because the rescue was difficult and getting dark.

After several hours of frantic rescue operations, the animal was finally freed by the center’s volunteer. The raccoon was then transferred to the Wild West Wildlife facility for analysis. The visit was brief, and he was uninjured. That made the two lads very happy!

“I could see their pride,” the proud father stated. “They were ecstatic that the animal was safe. I knew they would never forget this.”

h.t: thedodo