The last few days our back gate has been opened during the night. I usually assume it's the neighbor child retrieving a ball, and then not closing the gate because it's a lot harder to close than to open. But I've been paying closer attention, and unless the child has been playing ball in the rain at night, someone else is opening the gate at night.
I think it's the one in the middle. He looks like a ringleader.
This is the gate latch ...
... and they say if a two-year-old can open it, a raccoon can.
In addition, it occurs to me that just a week ago Gary added a flagstone under our gate opening because it's so muddy there. I'll bet raccoons can't fit under, so they go over now. But why wouldn't they just jump over if they were up at latch level? Why would they open the gate? Out of courtesy to older, less athletic raccoons?
It could happen. I mean, if seals can sing ...
Move your camera. This mystery must be solved.
Posted by: Big Dot | June 28, 2019 at 12:26 PM
Big Dot - I would, but it's not my camera: it's Gary's camera. I've asked him to just turn it around, but he believes it's the lawn mowing company leaving the gate open. I've been checking the gate every day so that I can make a case that it is not the lawn mowers. They sucessfully closed the gate the last time they mowed, but it hasn't been open by anyone or anything else since.
Posted by: theQueen | June 29, 2019 at 08:32 AM