Stowaway Raccoon survives a month on board a ship from Canada to Britain by eating cardboard and drinking condensation

Meeko the raccoon hopped aboard a container in Iowa, USA, before travelling by rail to Halifax, Canada

Was then shipped 3,000 miles across Atlantic Ocean to Liverpool, England

Survived by eating cardboard and licking condensation off container walls



Was discovered by workers at Sears Seating, Ebbw Vale, South Wales

Is now recovering on a diet of boiled eggs and cat biscuits in quarantine centre at Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary, Abercave



A stowaway raccoon survived a four-week journey across the Atlantic ocean aboard a shipping container .



Meeko jumped inside the container in Davenport, Iowa, US, before being sent by rail to Halifax in Canada.

It was then put on a boat and shipped to Liverpool, England.

Long haul: Meeka, a female raccoon pictured, climbed aboard a shipping container in Iowa, USA, before travelling to Halifax, Canada by rail

The animal only survived the 3,000-mile trip by eating cardboard and licking condensation off its surroundings.



The cargo was then driven 300 miles to Ebbw Vale in South Wales, where workers a t Sears Seating - who were expecting a delivery of machine parts - discovered the animal.

The raccoon, a common pest in north America, was taken to the Wales Ape and Monkey sanctuary in Abercave where it was given food and water.

Survivor: Meeka's container was then put on a ship and embarked on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean

Meeko is now in the sanctuary's rabies quarantine centre and, according to staff, is 'doing well'.



Jan Garen, who runs the Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary with her husband Graham, told the South Wales Evening Post: 'She came all the way from the America, we know this because she arrived inside a container delivered to Sears Seating in Ebbw Vale via Liverpool.



'When they saw her they notified Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), they had no choice.

'Defra then contacted us because we have quarantine facilities to keep her in quarantine.'



The adult female, named Meeko by staff after the raccoon in film Pocahontas, was the worse for wear on arrival.

Trip: The animal travelled 3,000 miles to Liverpool, England, living off a diet of cardboard and condensation

Mrs Garen added: 'She is getting used to us but she has had a rough ride.



'She was locked in that container for four weeks and somehow survived by drinking condensation and eating cardboard.



'It's obvious that she wasn't a pet, she's a wild animal so she has to be handled very carefully.'



Gorging on a diet of fruit, boiled eggs and cat biscuits, Meeko seems very happy in her new home - and is set to stay for the foreseeable future.



Rescued: The raccoon is now in quarantine at the Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary, pictured

Mrs Garen said: 'We have to keep her as it would cost too much to send her back and the US authorities are unlikely to foot the bill.



'They are like foxes in America, can you imagine our Government paying to send a fox back from America?'



The sanctuary, formerly a traditional Welsh hill farm but now rescues unwanted animals, is asking for donations to create a permanent home for Meeko.



Mrs Garen, whose sanctuary cares for over 15 types of animal, said: 'We will have to build her somewhere to live with an area to climb, that will be another expense and we rely entirely on donations.'



