Raccoons slowly taking over New York City

Headline you just have to love. 

Seems there is an influx of raccoons in several New York City neighborhoods, raccoons who are standing their ground against any attempt to trap them. They're scaring people, scaring dogs, rummaging through trash cans and getting into homes. 

I can relate since we sufered through 3 summers of raccoons invading our property in Collinsville, eating through steel roof soffiting and using our front porch columns and downspouts as sliding poles. Thank you Critter Control for finally bringing this to an end. Here's one Critter Control trapped from our house two years ago.

Here's a better look at one of ours.

They aren't the cute furry fellows you might think they are.

But in New York City, one raccoon sat on a front porch and "went eye to eye" with an owner, another person was hissed at in her back yard by a raccoon and another has a small dog who after one confrontation with the pest is a prisoner in his own home and won't go outside. Humane trappers hired to catch these animals haven't caught even one. So much for trying to be nice.

Urban dwellers in NYC aren't used to this sort of thing and calling offical animal authorities won't do much good because the offical answer from them is "the city will not respond unless the raccoons appear disoriented and potentially rabid." 

It's the homeowners who appear disoriented these days, fearful of what they'll bump into when they leave the house.

Comments

[Ann T]

Diane, one of my friends in St Paul was complaining to public works guys about the raccoons, and was told that raccoons are the only thing that keep the rat population in check -- Ugh! not sure if that makes me feel better or worse :)