Fans furious after beloved viral raccoon ‘Jimothy’ allegedly receives death threats
Jimothy, a raccoon living in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, has built a devoted online following since a video of him went viral in July.
The person who runs one of the Facebook pages dedicated to him has told UNILAD, on condition of anonymity, that Jimothy and the page admin have both attracted threats.
The admin said they began appearing perhaps a month after the page launched, with most automatically hidden or concealed from view, and that one was directed at them personally.
In one post, the admin claimed as many as five people had issued death threats or death wishes against Jimothy in a single week.
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The admin said it is now spreading widely, telling UNILAD: "It's just because we all love Jimothy so much, and when he is threatened we all want to defend him."
Fans have filled the replies with support for the admin and anger at those behind the remarks. “I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this,” one person wrote, while others questioned the motive, asking: “Why all the hate towards an animal that isn’t doing any harm?”
Some wanted action, with one asking: “Can you report them to wildlife authorities?” and another adding: “Hope there are consequences for the people threatening darling Jimothy.”
One commenter argued that such remarks make it seem ‘socially acceptable to harm animals'.
Who is 'Jimothy' the raccoon?
The animal first drew attention in a video posted by Kiana Hall, who was walking around the Ballard Goodwill with her partner at the time, according to The Seattle Times.
She said: "I got very confused at what I was seeing." Explaining the name, she said: "He looked like a Jimothy."
His shortened neck is likely caused by a congenital spine deformity, though experts say he is 'functioning well and very spry'.
He's also caused an outpouring of love towards him with people even getting tattoos of the wild animal.
The admin, who said they are not the woman who made the viral video, started the page on July 17, the same week Jimothy first went viral. They described it as a 'safe haven for people with kindness, love and empathy for wild animals'.
One remark the admin highlighted was allegedly left by a commenter under a Seattle Fun Events post sharing new Jimothy videos, a page the admin said helped break the story about Jimothy for people in Seattle.
It read: "It's time to put that thing out of its misery."
The admin said they told the commenter to back off, but that he stood by his remark, with about 90 comments gathering beneath it.
They reported it to law enforcement, saying it was clear he was from the area.
In a separate post, the admin wrote: "I have tracked, documented, and saved every threat."
The admin has also urged followers never to share Jimothy's exact location, saying that view is broadly held among other Jimothy groups.
The admin described running the page as 'a responsibility in a sense', saying its loss could hurt some followers.
"All I want is just a really good community, with a continuing story about Jimothy, because it makes so many people happy," they said.
Thomas Bamford
