SAN DIEGO — The first three graduates of the San Diego Humane Society’s raccoon nursery at its Ramona Wildlife Center have returned to the wild, the organization announced Thursday. The three orphaned juvenile raccoons were brought to the San Diego Humane Society separately between May 18 and June 9 after being found by community members in Ocean Beach, Chula Vista and Santee. “This release is especially meaningful because these raccoons are the first graduates of our new centralized raccoon nursery at the Ramona Wildlife Center,” said Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the San Diego Humane Society. As they grew stronger, the animals were moved to outdoor enclosures designed to “help them build the skills they need to survive independently,” according to the San Diego Humane Society. In 2025, the San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife program admitted 315 raccoons.