INTERESTING FACTS  Part 2

Racoons

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Bandit-masked raccoons are a familiar sight in just about everywhere because they will eat just about anything. These ubiquitous mammals are found in forests, marshes, prairies, and even in cities. They are adaptable and use their dexterous front paws and long fingers to find and feast on a wide variety of food. In the natural world, raccoons snare a lot of their meals in the water. These nocturnal foragers use lightning-quick paws to grab crayfish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. On land, they pluck mice and insects from their hiding places and raid nests for tasty eggs. Raccoons also eat fruit and plants. including those grown in our gardens. 

Raccoons in the northern part of North America gorge themselves in spring and summer to store up body fat. They then spend much of the winter asleep in a den. There are several other species of raccoons, in addition to the familiar North American raccoons.  Most other species of raccoons are found on tropical islands.

Unfortunately, these cute fury animals are problems to humans.    Raccoons are very common in cities and suburbs, so encounters with humans, cats and dogs often. Sometimes raccoons can appear to be bold or aggressive, but they are naturally cautious of people and won’t attack under normal circumstances. Even a mother raccoon with babies is more likely to run away in fear than she is to stand up to a big, scary predator like a human.

Raccoons are very curious and used to living near people, so they can sometimes seem very bold. A raccoon’s natural response to a confrontation is to freeze and stare at you. It’s still afraid of you; it’s just waiting to see what your next move is. If the raccoons in your neighbourhood seem particularly bold, it may be that one of your neighbors is feeding them—either intentionally, or indirectly by leaving out garbage, compost, or pet food where the raccoons have access.

Raccoons are very common in cities and suburbs and for this reason, encounters happen often. Sometimes raccoons can appear to be bold or aggressive, but they are naturally cautious of people and won’t attack under normal circumstances. Even a mother raccoon with babies is more likely to run away in fear than she is to stand up to a big, scary predator like a human!

Raccoons are very curious and used to living near people, so they can sometimes seem to be very bold. A raccoon’s natural response to a confrontation is to freeze and stare at you. It’s still afraid of you;  it’s just waiting to see what your next move is. If the raccoons in your neighbourhood seem particularly bold, it may be that one of your neighbours is feeding them—either intentionally, or indirectly by leaving out garbage, compost, or pet food where the raccoons have access.

Clap your hands, yell at the raccoon, and step towards it. That should be enough to convince it to run off. A spray with a hose, tennis balls thrown in its direction, banging a pot or using an airhorn can also be effective at reminding raccoons that you’re a scary predator. If the raccoons are used to being fed by humans, you may need to be very loud and boisterous to scare them off, but they should still respond.

If you’ve tried all of these things and the raccoon is unresponsive, or does not even look up at you or try to get away, there may be something wrong with the racoon. It may have Rabies.   

Raccoons are very common in cities and suburbs, so encounters happen often. Sometimes raccoons can appear to be bold or aggressive, but they are naturally cautious of people and won’t attack under normal circumstances. Even a mother raccoon with babies is more likely to run away in fear than she is to stand up to a big, scary predator like a human!

If you’ve tried all of these things and the raccoon is unresponsive, or does not even look up at you or try to get away, there may be something wrong  with the animal ,Contact a wildlife rehabilitator for advice. 

While a normal raccoon wouldn’t attack a person, they will sometimes “bluff” if they feel threatened or cornered. Raccoons may huff, grunt, or “charge” at you, but they’re just trying to scare you off so you’ll leave them alone.

Back off a litt if the raccoon feels trapped as this will give it some room to get away from you. Once you’ve backed off, yelling and clapping your hands will remind the raccoon that you’re a big, scary predator.

Just about the only time we see people get bitten or scratched by raccoons is when they’re handfeeding one or trying to keep one as a pet. However, if you do get bitten or scratched by a raccoon, you should contact your family doctor immediately since the animal   may be suffering from rabies.

Raccoons are actually very clean animals, and will defecate n the same spot, away from where they eat and sleep. This spot is known as a “Latrine Site”. Luckily a raccoon’s commitment to a latrine site isn’t very strong, so it’s usually pretty easy to get them to choose a different place to do its defecation.

If the spot of defecation is on a deck or patio, you can just move around some furniture. Put a planter or a table in the spot the raccoon usually uses. Raccoons reuse the same spot because it’s habit so break the habit and they might move on.

Because their paws are so sensitive, raccoons don’t like to walk on a double layer of plastic. Tape two painter’s sheets or garbage bags over the latrine area for a couple of weeks. That should convince the raccoon to find a new spot, and once the habit is broken you can remove the plastic.

If the latrine site is on a lawn or in a garden, spray lots of water over the area so that it’s wet and muddy. You can stop overwatering once the raccoons have stopped using the area as itslatrine. A  motion activated sprinkler (or a person turning the hose on them when caught in the act! will also deter a raccoon from using the area as its’ latrine site. No one or animal likes to get wet while doing its Number Two!

Raccoons can carry the parasite Baylisascaris porcinis, or Raccoon Roundworm. It doesn’t affect raccoons, but when the eggs are ingested through raccoon feces, it can cause serious symptoms in other animals, including humans. 

Get more information on raccoon roundworm Wear gloves and keep yu hands from  your face.

Keep your garbage inside until pick-up day. Organic waste can be kept in a freezer to reduce smells. If garbage cans must be kept outside, store them in a closed shed or garage, or build a wooden lock-box with a padlock to hold the cans. Bungee cords can keep bins closed, but make sure to take them off the morning of garbage pickup.

Raccoons are nocturnal, so waiting until the morning of garbage pickup to put out your bins can prevent them from getting in them.

The smell of food coming from human garbage, compost, and recycling is irresistible to raccoons. Don’t worry; it is possible to prevent raccoons from getting into garbage cans.

Raccoons are nocturnal, so waiting until the morning of garbage pickup to put out your bins can prevent them from getting in. For this reason, keep garbage off the ground Raccoons can get into garbage cans by tipping them over and knocking open the lids. Bins with handles like City of Toronto green bins can be hung from a wall with a bicycle hook or a bungee cord.

        

Thousands of raccoons call many houses as heir own homes.  Sometimes we don’t think about our wild neighbours until there is a problem resulting in a squabble over who gets the garden vegetables, or an uninvited tenant taking up residence in the roof. While raccoons are only trying to meet their basic food and shelter needs, these conflicts can be very frustrating for homeowners.

Many people think that a raccoon can survive anywhere. You may even think that moving a raccoon from an urban backyard to a ravine, park, or forest will help them, since these spaces seem more “natural.” But the truth is, raccoons have specific home ranges where they are adapted to living.

Thousands of raccoons call our city their home. Sometimes we don’t think about our wild neighbours until there is a problem: a squabble over who gets the garden vegetables, or an uninvited tenant taking up residence in the roof. While raccoons are only trying to meet their basic food and shelter needs, these conflicts can be very frustrating for homeowners.

Many people think that a raccoon can survive anywhere. You may even think that moving a raccoon from an urban backyard to a ravine, park, or forest will help them, since these spaces seem more “natural.” But the truth is, raccoons have specific home ranges where they are adapted to living. A city raccoon’s home range is usually about 3 blocks. Within that range they learn where to find food, water, and shelter, and how to stay safe. A raccoon that’s spent its whole life living in a garden shed and foraging in green bins isn’t going to stand a chance suddenly transported to a conservation area. Not to mention that there are probably already raccoons living in the new territory who won’t be too happy about having a new racoon neighbor.

 

Contrary to popular belief, live-trapping a raccoon and relocating it is not a good way to solve the problem. While trapping may seem like a humane option, it often ends in a death sentence for the animal and leaves your property vulnerable to ongoing wildlife conflicts. Here’s why:

Most raccoon conflicts happen in the spring and summer, when mother raccoons are looking for shelter and extra food to raise their babies. These babies are quietly awaiting their mother’s return in attic nests or backyard burrows. When a mother raccoon is trapped and moved, dependent babies are left behind. Without their mother, they will die.

Toronto Wildlife Centre receives hundreds of calls a year about baby raccoons who have been “orphaned” because someone trapped and relocated a nuisance raccoon. Sadly, that organization  doesn’t have the resources to take care of all of them, and many are turned away so the baby raccoons dies of starvation.

Trapping and relocating a mother raccoon with her babies also doesn’t work. Because of the stress and terror caused by relocation, faced with an unfamiliar territory with no way to find food or shelter, a mother raccoon will almost always abandon her babies at the new site.

There are humane companies who will remove Raccoons from your  home  without killing them.