What started as an average day at The Book Store on the Hill in Richmond Hill, Georgia, took a turn last year when a man approached the register and delivered some surprising news.

“[A customer] came up to me at the counter and told me I had a raccoon in the store,” store owner Kimberly Long told The Dodo. “I was not sure that I understood him right.”

Confused, Long and a fellow bookstore clerk approached the business’ glass door. Sure enough, a tiny raccoon was waiting just outside, peering longingly through the windowpane.

“You could very clearly tell that he was a lost baby,” Long said.

Heartbroken for the little guy, Long and her assistant called animal control but didn’t hear back. They knew they couldn’t leave the raccoon alone on the busy plaza, so they asked a neighboring business, PawParazzi Pet Shop, to borrow some food and a cage.

It turns out, the tricky baby was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. He proceeded to dash in and out of the cage, swiping the food before Long and her team could snap the door shut. Eventually, the team got in touch with a cat rescue, which was able to provide a more advanced cage. Rescuers left the new cage out under a tree overnight, hopeful to catch the baby. Meanwhile, Long connected with staff at Savannah Wildlife Rescue Center.

Overnight, the raccoon stumbled into the new trap. Early the next morning, another local business owner from Midnight Star Pottery took the baby inside and helped him warm up. Soon, an expert from Savannah Wildlife Rescue Center arrived and brought the baby to the shelter for an assessment.

Savannah Wildlife staff checked to make sure the baby was healthy. Safe at the rescue, the raccoon happily munched on fruit and drank lots of water. Eventually, the baby was released back into the wild with another family of raccoons.

Thanks to the dedication of so many animal lovers, this little raccoon is back where he belongs.