About that Raccoon Visitation

[dewline]

Raccoon Visitation I, a photo by dwight_ew on Flickr.

I submit the following in evidence.The angle was not the best to show which forepaw was being favoured here, I'm sorry to say. I blame my own sense of timing for that.

Comments

[shanejayell.livejournal.com]

Awww.

(Yes, I know they have rabies etc. They're still kinda cute.)

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Not sure about the rabies issue, although I do remember the brain-attacking parasitics hiding in their...ahem...waste disposal from discussions on Ontario Today and The Nature of Things.

Cuteness factor is definitely in play, even so. Enough for Porter Airlines to adopt them as a mascot species!

[liabrown]

Them showing up during daylight hours is a risk factor for rabies. Otherwise I never worry about it.

We had a mama raccoon and four babies this summer, and they were adorable. They played in the birdbath every night...also pooped in it a lot, which was annoying.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

How late in the morning do we need worry about?

[liabrown]

That I don't know. If it's really early they just might not have gotten to bed yet, but in general staying out in daylight is something not done by healthy raccoons. Of course it's possible something just stirred it up or disturbed its nest and that's why it's out, but I'd personally give it a wide berth. Maybe call animal services in the city and see what they think..? If you see the raccoon in daylight more than once they might want to know about that.