Meet Your Wild Neighbors!
These days our comprehension of animals rarely extends beyond domestic pets and livestock, but a little knowledge can go a long way toward learning to live in harmony with our urban wild neighbors – even the pesky or seemingly scary ones! As urban growth sprawls humans and wild animals must learn to share one habitat, and we will increasingly be encountering each other. Both are now dependant on the “superior” species (you!) to achieve critical, harmonious coexistence. It is said that “good fences make good neighbors, but appreciating your neighbor is even better”. In an effort to help renew appreciation for urban wildlife, ‘The Raccoon’ is the first in a series of Meet Your Wild Neighbors. We hope you enjoy them all!
The Raccoon
Most folks in the US have encountered the adaptable raccoon. Coexisting with these intelligent, opportunistic creatures is not so exasperating once you understand them.
The raccoon is easily identified with its black mask and ringed tail, which is relatively short for its body size and has 5-7 black rings. Various colors occasionally exist among the species, including the rare albino, black, red and even a light cinnamon color. The scientific name is Procyon lotor, which is loosely translated from various Native American Indian tribes as he who washes with hands. The raccoons tactile ‘hands’ are extremely sensitive and are even more so when in water; by dousing their food they can detect the tiniest particle of sand on a morsel. It is folklore that they lack saliva; mainly they do this because they are unique and can!
Raccoons are medium sized mammals and are not in the rodent family. They are loosely related to the red panda bear and can be found almost anywhere there is water and food in Colorado, although not in our remote, higher elevation areas. Like the black bear, the raccoon is opportunistic and insatiably curious. While raccoons help control populations of rodents, reptiles, insects, snakes and occasionally birds and eggs, raccoons are omnivores as berries, fruits and vegetables are equally a part of their diet. Raccoons also eat poison ivy berries, controlling the spread of this noxious plant! It is said that they will eat an entire wasp nest, and I have firsthand witnessed a raccoon killing a rattlesnake. Coyotes and birds of prey are the raccoon’s most common natural predators.
Colorado recently banned the raccoon while other states allow it sanctuary and most allow restricted possession. Possession requires extreme dedication as raising a raccoon is an immense challenge. Some individuals teach wildlife appreciation with their raccoon, such as Stanleigh the Raccoon did in over 300 assemblies (before CO’s ban), because to meet one is to be indelibly charmed into appreciating our wild neighbors. In Japan, following the release of Disney’s movie “Rascal”, thousands of pet raccoons were imported. The story was written by literary giant Sterling North, when he was eleven years old and is a true story about his pet raccoon. He received tremendous feedback from around the globe of others’ raccoon experiences and was inspired to write “Raccoons are the Brightest People” in his later years (1966). North believed the raccoon was evolving and even suggested it was displaying indication of self-domestication. Nonetheless, while a few do succeed in taming one of these little clowns, most do not and the result can be tragic and heartbreaking.
If you find yourself outwitted by a raccoon, rest assured that their astuteness is not your imagination! Don’t take it personally; the raccoon’s intelligence is second only to higher primates, per a study done at Purdue University. Studies have shown that raccoons are able to remember the solution to tasks several years later. Curiosity is also an indicator of intelligence. Although exceptional climbers, very clever, and gifted with an excellent sense of smell, the raccoons life span in the wild rarely exceeds two to four years due to humans lack of tolerance, hunting, trapping, dogs, and automobiles. Myths of disease surround the raccoon, but disease is by far not the threat that humans (and such myths) are to this maligned animal. In Part II these myths, the realities, and some interesting perspective is discussed.
(PART II)
In Part I we discussed the scientifically proven intelligence of the often maligned Raccoon, as well as some of the purpose it serves in our environment. Our ancestors had far greater appreciation of this animal; in fact President Coolidge had a pet raccoon that he doted on daily! Present day media, misleading statistics, and legal restrictions put upon animals and the public has allowed overstated risks and myths to alter our perception.
For most people, our lack of knowledge about wild animals and our need to coexist with them would benefit with some perspective on the data fed to us today. Fifty people a year die from red ant bites, yet human rabies deaths are nearly zero a year in the US, and cases include being bit by a rabid dog while visiting a foreign country. Rabies in wild animals can only be determined by sending its brain to a lab for testing. Hundreds of thousands of brains are submitted; relatively few return a positive result. Yet each year 40,000 people receive post-exposure “just in case” rabies shots which can skew statistics. Testing is an annual $300 million cost for the US, but it is our vaccine prevention methods that are most effective. Rabies vaccination in captive and wild animals such as raccoons has been proven effective, but has yet to be “approved” by Government beyond the oral bait use. See the math here?
Raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes are called RVS species, or rabies vector species, meaning they are susceptible to this disease as they are not vaccinated. They do not, however, “carry rabies” like it was lurking in their pocket and they can whip it out at whim. Like humans (or any unvaccinated mammal and some rodents) they must first be infected by the saliva or bite from an actual infected animal that is in the contagious phase of the disease. Rabies is not airborne. Per the Center for Disease Control, a rabid animal is contagious when the disease has affected the brain – in which case an animal will then appear ill. One of the most common misconceptions is that observing a raccoon out during daylight hours dictates the animal is ill. No one has ever told nocturnal animals that they are never to venture out during the day – and they do not read! In reality it is common for mother raccoons and youngsters to be out during the day. In areas with little threat of danger, raccoons are often seen during the daytime. A sick animal will visibly act sick – not just visible! Raccoons do pant when overheated, and they can sweat. Distemper disease is often mistaken for rabies in raccoons. Prevention assistance for distemper in wild animals is, again, to vaccinate all our cats and dogs.
There has not been a case of raccoon rabies in Colorado since 1963. There are several specie variants of rabies, such as bat, skunk, cat…of which can affect any other mammal that is not vaccinated. Rabies vaccine oral bait drop programs have been used in affected areas thru the US with tremendous success. Even in epidemic areas less than 5% of the affected species will likely become infected. But rabies is a potentially fatal health concern and the reason for so much hype is to encourage preventive measures as vaccinating our pets and not handling wildlife. If you witness an injured or possibly orphaned animal you can find a list of rehabilitators on the CO Division of Wildlife website. If you care, leave it there until you speak with a rehabilitator. They are volunteers of the state trained to assist wildlife and will give you the best advice possible. Raccoons are great mothers but like many wild moms, they refuse to pay a babysitter. Rarely will they abandon their young unless they have been killed.
In addition to the fear-based education we receive about disease are the parasite concerns. Wild raccoons are immune to it but do sometimes carry what is malignly called “raccoon roundworm”, or Baylisascaris procyonis. In reality, over 90 species of both wild and domestic animals can host this roundworm, along with more common roundworms. Keeping pets dewormed is as common sense as not eating poop, which can be a concern for small children. An adult must ingest or inhale very large quantities of larvae eggs to become infected. To date less than 30 cases have ever been recorded in humans.
If you desire to dissuade wildlife from your property, the raccoon may give you a challenge. Ammonia soaked rags or ground red pepper near entrances will help, later sealing the entry. Be sure to give a mother time to remove her babies lest you trap them in and cause yourself a worse mess. In time, when the babies are older, they will all move out anyway. Obviously, figuring out how to secure pet food and trash cans is your best bet – and challenge. A simple bungee cord is no match for the wise and dexterous raccoon!
Generations before us certainly managed to coexist with wildlife, and they survived all the risks and fears that are often over-sensationalized today. They also understood that killing or otherwise removing a wild animal merely left a vacancy sign for the next one to move in. Let us not forget that we have encroached on all these amazing animals that have but one goal – to survive (not to hurt us). Those who work with wild animals will tell you – they have never met an aggressive animal, only a scared one. Be kind, be humane. Your world will thank you.
Katherine McGill, SunChaser Wildlife, Inc. 2009
