Lawyer forced to apologise after scaring raccoon off yacht leaving it to drown

A lawyer has been branded “disgusting” and “despicable” after he chased a raccoon off his boat 20 miles out at sea, leaving it to a near certain death.

Thomas Cope, from Florida, posted a video to his Facebook page which showed his cruel attempts to scare the terrified "trash panda" off his yacht.

The creature had apparently stowed itself away underneath the deck before reemerging during the boat journey on the Gulf of Mexico, near Clearwater.

In the video, the lawyer shouts at it to “Get off my f------ boat" and says "We're just going to have to push him off.”

The animal had apparently stowed away in a compartment underneath the deck (Facebook)

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After being cornered, the creature slips from the boat's edge and into the sea where it struggles to stay afloat, miles from the nearest shoreline.

Mr Cope is heard yelling “So long, sucker” as the boat drifts away with the raccoon attempting to paddle to safety. 

The personal injury attorney's actions have been slammed by social media users after the footage was uploaded on May 8.

The lawyer backs the animal into a corner (Facebook)

The raccoon slips from the edge of the boat and into the water (Facebook)

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The video has also triggered an investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Tampa Bay Times reported .

Mr Cope has apologised for the incident but said he has no choice but to push the raccoon because it had been behaving aggressively towards him.

“The animal was running around the boat hissing and growling, making it impossible for me or my friend to drive the boat,” Cope wrote.

The animal desperately struggles to stay afloat after falling into the water (Facebook)

Mr Cope is hear yelling "so long sucker" at the animal as the boat sails away (Facebook)

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“Knowing raccoons can be rabid and unpredictable, the only realistic option we could think of in the moment was to get the raccoon off the boat.”

Florida's wildlife agency said it was treating the incident "very seriously" and asked people with additional information to come forward.

Thomas Cope, from Florida, has apologised for the incident (Facebook)

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“It is still too early to speculate as to what violations took place in this incident,” the statement said.

“However, the FWC would like to state that we believe these vile acts of animal cruelty have no place in our state or anywhere else.”