Raccoons, with their distinctive masked faces and bushy tails, are increasingly common residents in urban and suburban landscapes. This growing presence often leads to apprehension among people, who encounter these nocturnal creatures more frequently than before. Understanding these adaptable animals and their characteristics can help demystify common fears.
Common Reasons for Raccoon Fear and Actual Dangers
Raccoons can appear intimidating due to their nocturnal habits and masked appearance. Healthy raccoons are generally timid and prefer to avoid human contact, becoming aggressive only when provoked, cornered, or defending their young. They usually retreat if given space, dispelling common misconceptions about their aggression.
Raccoons can pose actual risks. Rabies is a serious viral disease affecting the central nervous system, transmitted through a bite, scratch, or contact with infected saliva. Symptoms in rabid raccoons include unusual aggression or friendliness, disorientation, difficulty walking, excessive salivation, and lethargy. Though rare in humans, rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.
Distemper is another concern, a highly contagious virus among raccoons that can affect dogs and other wildlife, but not humans. Infected raccoons may exhibit lethargy, disorientation, loss of balance, seizures, and discharge from the eyes and nose. Transmission occurs through inhalation of airborne droplets or direct contact with bodily fluids, including saliva and feces.
Raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis, is a parasitic worm living in raccoon intestines, with eggs shed in their feces. Humans can become infected by ingesting these microscopic eggs from contaminated soil or objects. While raccoons are often asymptomatic, in humans, the larvae migrate through tissues, potentially causing nausea, tiredness, liver enlargement, loss of coordination, and in severe cases, neurological damage, blindness, or coma. Eggs become infectious after 2-4 weeks and can remain viable for years.
Minimizing Raccoon Encounters and Safe Conduct
Preventing raccoons from entering your property involves eliminating attractants and securing entry points. Secure outdoor trash cans using bungee cords, heavy lids, or locking mechanisms to prevent raccoons from accessing food waste. Storing garbage cans inside a garage or shed further limits access and contains odors that attract them.
Removing outdoor food sources is also important, as raccoons are opportunistic feeders. Bring pet food and water bowls indoors at night, pick up fallen fruit, and clean up spills from bird feeders. Sealing pet doors can prevent raccoons from entering homes, as they are capable of squeezing through small openings.
Inspect your home for potential entry points like loose shingles, unscreened vents, or gaps around chimneys, sheds, or crawl spaces, and seal them with sturdy materials like wire mesh. Raccoons can fit through openings as small as four inches, so thorough inspection is recommended. Keeping your yard tidy by trimming overgrown shrubs and maintaining a clean lawn reduces hiding spots and shelter.
If an encounter with a raccoon occurs, maintaining a safe distance is paramount; avoid approaching, feeding, or attempting to pet them. Making loud noises or spraying water can deter an unwelcome raccoon without cornering the animal. If a raccoon appears sick, injured, or unusually aggressive, contact local animal control or wildlife rehabilitators immediately, rather than attempting to handle it yourself.
In the event of a raccoon bite or scratch, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least five minutes to reduce infection risk. Apply an antiseptic solution, and if bleeding occurs, apply gentle pressure with a clean cloth. Seek immediate medical attention, as healthcare providers may recommend a rabies vaccine series, a tetanus shot, or antibiotics to prevent serious infections.