A can of nearly 100 raccoons have flooded a Washington woman’s home in hopes of finding their next meal.
The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was forced to call authorities after realizing she couldn’t leave her own home due to the abundance of raccoons on her property in Kitsap County, near Poulsbo.
What started as a good-natured gesture to ensure the raccoons were fed turned into a pest problem.
For more than 35 years, the well-meaning woman left food for the raccoons without any problems. But six weeks ago that changed.
“Somehow the news got out into raccoon country and they all came to her house waiting for a meal,” said Kevin McCarthy, a spokesman for the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. King 5.
Resolving the infestation could cause an even bigger problem, as raccoon removal costs $500 per animal.
Nearly 100 raccoons swarmed a Washington woman’s home last week in hopes of getting their next meal
A Kitsap County woman, near Poulsbo, called authorities after realizing she couldn’t leave her own home because of the abundance of raccoons on her property, which lingered in broad daylight begging for food.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office shared video of the home invasion, which showed dozens of trash pandas surrounding its heavily wooded property.
She explained to officers that she had never seen the animals arrive in such a large group and noted that some newcomers become aggressive.
Her house was already an important source of food income in the 1980s. They visited her backyard regularly, but left as soon as they were fed. USA today reported.
The raccoons visited her home day and night, even scratching the windows and walls of the house to get her attention.
But last week she only called for help after the mammals surrounded her car, making exit an impossible task.
When officers arrived at her home to respond to the situation, they could never have expected what they encountered.
“They were shocked,” McCarthy added. “They had never seen so many raccoons in one place. No one remembers ever being surrounded by a swarm of raccoons. This was a first.’
The raccoons appeared to be on their best behavior when police arrived on the scene. They were not aggressive and there have been no reports of injuries.
The unnamed woman started leaving food for the nighttime bandits without any problem more than 35 years ago, but the raccoon population exploded just six weeks ago
But the Kitsap County sheriff referred the woman to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to further address her problem.
The department then referred her to the “wildlife control operators” program, which connects residents with private trappers certified to handle small animals, USA Today reported.
But after she contacted the trapping organization to help with the raccoon epidemic, they wanted as much as $500 for the removal of a single mammal – which would ultimately cost her thousands of dollars.
Neighbors have also noticed the influx of the bandits, noting that they have been piling up for about a month now.
“I’ve had several raccoons in the yard lately,” Wendy Cronk, a neighbor, told King 5.
‘My dogs have collided with a raccoon several times. I’ve even had to take one of my dogs to the vet after a struggle with a raccoon. And I noticed there are a lot more hit-and-run raccoons here on the main road.”
State law requires animals in confinement by the WCO department to be released on site or euthanized and properly disposed of, USA Today reported.
“I just hope that someone steps in and helps her solve this problem… and hopefully she stops doing it,” Cronk added.
Raccoons are a common sight. They are often drawn to urban areas by food delivered to the area by human hands. WDFW reported.
The raccoons visited her home day and night, even scratching the windows and walls of the house to get her attention.
The most effective way to prevent raccoon problems is to simply not attract raccoons to your home. The main recommendation is to deprive the mammals of food and not to feed them.
“It’s pretty simple,” McCarthy added. ‘Don’t feed wild animals. If wild animals have a reliable food source, they will return to it again and again. And these raccoons did that until the number of raccoons expecting a meal got out of hand.”
Bridget Mire, a spokesperson for the department, also warned against feeding wild animals, noting that when animals gather around an unnatural food source, such as human food, diseases can spread, USA Today added.
Feeding wildlife can also cause the animals to lose their own sense of caution toward humans, and even attract predators that may interact with humans.
Prohibiting raccoons from easy access to garbage or the ability to enter the home through pet doors are other ways to prevent raccoon infestations, WDFW added.
She only called for help last week after the mammals surrounded her car in her heavily wooded backyard, making leaving an impossible task
Fencing off vegetable gardens and other orchards and thoroughly clearing outdoor barbecue areas also help keep the nighttime bandits at bay.
But as long as raccoons are kept out of people’s homes, not cornered, and not treated as pets, they generally do not pose a dangerous threat.
What happened to the raccoons on Tuesday was still unknown, but animal protection is working on a solution.
“At this time, it has been determined that the raccoons have not committed any crimes,” McCarthy added.