Raccoons pose menace to peninsula-area residents

Raccoons may be adorable. The masked bandits do look cute, except when they’re chewing on your pet bunny. Be warned: they can be hazardous. And they are not moving back to the woods, not after experiencing the good life.

Is there anything cuter than a mother raccoon with her kits, washing their dinner in a backyard pool with their sweet little hands? Ask Herron Island resident Carolyn Anspach, who recently ended up in the emergency room after she broke up a fight between her pet Shih Tzu and a combative raccoon.

After several weeks of rabies shots — injected into the site of the bites and scratches on her right arm, she is doing well, although she’s still shaken by the incident.

Another Herron Island pooch, a greyhound, was injured when it chased raccoons out of a fenced yard and ended up with 12 stitches that stretched from its left eye to its lower jaw.

“People need to realize that raccoons can get into a yard, whether it is fenced or not,” said Dana Gruber, owner of the 6-year-old greyhound, Dit. “They are climbers. They will get into your house, make a den under a crawl space, or climb right into an attic and cause lots of damage.”

Raccoons love suburban areas. Like coyotes, they have adapted to a human environment, where they enjoy fewer traps, few predators, great den sites and lots of accessible food. They are nocturnal, and their human neighbors may not always be aware they are around.

They eat almost anything, but they especially love seafood and pet food. Garbage and compost piles are fair game, as are smaller animals.

Before you leave your cat out overnight, remember an adult male raccoon living the good life may weigh in excess of 60 pounds.

An overturned garbage can could be the least of your worries if a raccoon takes up residence in your attic, chimney, shed, under the deck or in a nearby abandoned car. Raccoons generally change residency every few days, but a mother with kits will stay put for about seven weeks, raising two to four babies who are soon out in the world, doing what raccoons do: foraging for food and protecting themselves.

One of the things they do best is spread disease. Their droppings contain roundworms, which are easily spread by contact. They are not the same parasites common in pets; the roundworm found in raccoon droppings can seriously harm humans and other animals.

Children playing outside are vulnerable, as is anyone else who comes in contact with their waste. Rabies and distemper are two other diseases common to raccoons. Make sure all family pets have their vaccinations up to date.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife does not allow trapping and re-settling raccoons without a permit and special circumstances, so prepare yourself and your family for peaceful coexistence.

A few suggestions for keeping raccoons away:

Do not feed them.

Keep pet foods inside.

Keep pets indoors at night.

Secure your compost and garbage containers.

Clean up barbecue areas, around bird feeders and under fruit trees, and eliminate access to potential sites where they could set up housekeeping.

Did you know?

Rabies is concentrated in the saliva of an infected raccoon. If the animal comes in contact with a human, the disease can be spread through a scratch or a cut. The virus also can enter humans through the eyes, mouth and nose.

Raccoons infected with rabies will appear different than their healthy counterparts. They may be noticeably clumsy, have trouble walking or fall over. They also may be very thin and have thinning or worn-looking fur. A less obvious but still dangerous sign of rabies is when a raccoon loses its natural fear of humans or pets. Such an animal will act aggressively.

If bitten or scratched by a raccoon, wash the area with soap and water and call your health-care provider.

Learn more

Visit Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s raccoon information at www.wdfw.wa.gov/living/raccoons.html.

Learn more about rabies at www.doh.wa.gov/ehsphl/factsheet/rabiesfct.htm.