A Washington state woman who admitted feeding raccoons for the last 35 years called 911 when her home was recently surrounded by more than 100 of the animals aggressively begging for food.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office shared a video of the “raccoon invasion” at the woman’s home near Poulsbo when deputies responded on Oct. 3. The woman called 911 after she was “forced to run away in her car” because the raccoons prevented her from entering her home.
“So 35 years ago you first started feeding these raccoons, and then when all of a sudden did it explode like this?” a deputy can be heard asking the woman in the video. She said the horde started showing up six weeks before.
The woman said the raccoons have been surrounding her home day and night begging for food. Now that she wants the raccoons gone, she said she has been quoted prices of up to $500 per raccoon for trapping and relocation.
The sheriff’s office said deputies referred the woman to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Raccoons naturally feed on fruit, nuts, insects and small animals, but they will eat nearly anything, including trash and pet food, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
As a general rule, people should never feed wild animals because it habituates them to humans and human sources of food, and raccoons are no exception.
“Raccoons that are fed by people often lose their fear of humans and may become aggressive when not fed as expected,” the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says. “Artificial feeding also tends to concentrate raccoons in a small area; overcrowding can spread diseases and parasites.”
The agency also warns that neighbors may not be as fond of raccoons as those feeding them, and may take matters into their own hands.
“These hungry visitors might approach a neighbor who doesn’t share your appreciation of the animals. The neighbor might choose to remove these raccoons, or have them removed,” the agency says.
That seems to be true for the woman’s neighbors. Wendy Cronk, who lives nearby, told KING-TV that she has had to take her own dog to the veterinarian after “tussling with a raccoon.”
“My dogs have gotten in a scuffle several times with a raccoon. I’ve even had to take one of my dogs to the vet after tussling with a raccoon,” Cronk told the outlet. “I just hope that somebody steps in and helps her take care of this problem … and hopefully she’ll quit doing it.”
-With TMX reporting
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