The rescue wrote on Facebook that they have not fully diagnosed the cause of her hair loss, saying the cause could be an autoimmune disorder where her hair follicles are damaged. They also ruled out causes like parasites, mange, and fungal infections, saying that her skin appeared to be healthy.

Raccoons depend on their fur to keep themselves warm and protect their skin from the elements — the rescuers couldn’t believe that Rufus had managed to survive this long.

“We are quite amazed that this little lady managed to make it [through] the winter without fur and without suffering from frostbite or worse!” they wrote on Facebook.

They added that she had a “feisty” personality and that “her successful survival was all her own doing.” Even so, it seems like she was rescued just in time, as she was reportedly “down and out upon arrival.”

“We were panicking for a few short hours … but she got hungry and came out. She’s getting quite feisty and we’ve seen a big improvement since she first arrived,” Swinimer told The Canadian Press.

Given the circumstances, Rufus might become a permanent resident of the shelter and will have a specialized habitat, an outdoor space with a space to crawl into to keep warm, as well as amenities like hammocks and nesting boxes.

We’ve never seen a hairless raccoon before! It’s incredible that Rufus has managed to survive in the wild for so long, and we’re glad she was found and is now in good care.