Raccoons are
known for their opportunistic hunting behaviors
with a notorious tendency to forage close to
human dwellings. In this, they will tip over
bins and ran sack pet food stores, don’t be
surprises if they come up your kitchen and steal
away the food in unsecured safes. Raccoons were
initially meant for the wooden forests and mixed
rainforests, but as man has continuously
encroached on their living lands, they have
progressively adapted to the modern lifestyle,
where they almost share the same space with
humans. For that, it is not uncommon to most
raccoons living right on your property, and some
of them now live in urban and suburban spaces,
even in cities where they are occasionally
knocked over by cars.
When it comes to encounters between humans and
raccoons, the results are almost halfway mixed
between aggressive and non-aggressive, but a
large percent of the incidences indicate that
healthy, unprovoked raccoons are calm and will
mind their business most of the times. Raccoons
are curious intelligent animals, and although
they were originally meant for the wild,
encounters with humans have made some of them
almost near-domesticated where they visit homes
more frequently, primarily for food.
Although raccoons may at times gain the courage
to come close to humans, that is purely when
they are curious of what one could be carrying –
and that is in most cases an indication of
hunger and they are in extreme scavenging.
However, female raccoons will stand their ground
to protect their young ones, and will become
aggressive if they find you advancing
threateningly on their young ones, so you would
rather back off in good time. However, it is
quite rare for these same females to chase at a
person when they consider them threatening, but
will most likely assume a defensive posture to
wade off the danger.
While raccoons are largely nocturnal, seeing
them during day time may raise a red flag, but
it is also norm when food is scarce or for
females that have to work harder to keep their
young ones full and comfortable. However,
noticing a raccoon walking during the day but
with signs of illnesses, such as discharge from
the mouth or eyes, difficulty in walking or
making unusual sounds may indicate that the
animal is rabid. These ones are more dangerous
are more likely to attack even without
provocation, and as such you need to inform the
wildlife service.
Further, it is important to minimize the danger
of possible attacks by ensuring that you do not
attack these creatures, because when cornered in
a tight spot without an escape route they will
have to fight back for their life, the results
are likely to be devastating. Do not tempt them
with food or feed them, whether directly or
indirectly, because this invites them, together
with their relatives, some of which may be
hostile, to your home. Read more:
Raccoon
Control,
how
to get rid of raccoons,
Raccoon
Feces,
How
to get raccoons out of the ceiling.
