Published on Aug 14, 2013
Raccoon Man wants Rebekah Back Pleads To Get His Critter Back Funny and Sincere. GALLATIN, Tenn. - A Sumner County man is fighting to get his pet raccoon back. The animal was taken away after a complaint to state wildlife agents. Agents say what Mark Brown did is illegal, and they're working to return the raccoon to the wild. Mark Brown, who's better known as "Coon Rippy" is a YouTube sensation. He's about to land his own reality show. Brown says he rescued the raccoon he named Rebekah and just wants her returned to the only home she knows. Showering with a pet raccoon isn't unusual for Mark "Coon Rippy" Brown. Brown believes a YouTube video is what got the attention of the TWRA, which confiscated Rebekah July 30. Brown says he's cared for scores of wild animals, and although he doesn't have a rehabilitation permit from TWRA, he's more than qualified to care for the 2 month old raccoon. Brown became a YouTube sensation with videos of Gunshow, a raccoon he rescued and had for 4 years until it died in January. TWRA says Rebekah is being rehabilitated and won't be returned to Brown. Brown has started a campaign petitioning Governor Bill Haslam to allow him to keep Rebekah. According to the TWRA, the raccoon could be returned to the wild in October.