Living in areas where raccoon are common can be interesting and at times problematic. These creatures are locally abundant in many areas of North America. While they are sometimes cute to look at, they can also be a pest capable of raiding trash cans and poultry houses with reckless abandon. The fact that they have proliferated in urban settings over the past half century has compounded problems for urban and suburban homeowners from Boston to Los Angeles.
At one time raccoons were not particularly abundant. They were mostly restricted to lowland regions of the Mississippi River Valley and deciduous forests in the Southeastern states. However, over the past several decades they have expanded their numbers and their range into almost every US state and nearly all of the Canadian provinces. They are still missing from some portions of Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.
Unlike most mammals, raccoons have adapted well to human habitation. They have proliferated in agricultural areas and urban cities, finding food in dumpsters, chicken coops, grain fields and other sources made possible by human activity. Most large American cities have substantial populations. In addition to crop lands and cities, these creatures have adapted to almost every habitat niche excluding extremely arid desert regions.
The North American Raccoon now has introduced populations established in many foreign countries. Russia, Germany and Japan all have reproducing populations of wild raccoons that were introduced in their countries sometime during the twentieth century. They have also spread into each of the nations bordering Germany.
In cities and on farms the animal can be a problem. They not only tip over trash cans and invade dumpsters, but they also feed on poultry house eggs and on cash crops like sweet corn. They can also pose a problem to pet owners as they may injure dogs or cats, especially if they are cornered. Many private agencies will provide removal services for a fee. These companies can be found online or in your local yellow pages. Animal control agents can be called to remove vicious animals that pose a threat to humans or to their pets.
In the wild, many are killed by vehicles or hunters. Life expectancies average under three years in the wild, although captive raccoons can live twenty years or longer. In addition to road mortality and hunting, some specimens succumb to natural predators like owls, coyotes and bobcats though predator mortality is not a significant control on populations.
Raccoons are a carrier of rabies. A little over one third of rabies cases in the United States are traced to raccoons. For this reason, a specimen that looks sickly or acts aggressive should be reported to authorities and it should not be handled. Fortunately, however they rarely transmit rabies to humans, but precautions should be exercised nevertheless.
Being a neighbor to a raccoon can be interesting or annoying. The animals are abundant in many areas and frequently cause problems in areas where they are too common. However, they remain an amusing and entertaining creature that many people enjoy seeing.
At one time raccoons were not particularly abundant. They were mostly restricted to lowland regions of the Mississippi River Valley and deciduous forests in the Southeastern states. However, over the past several decades they have expanded their numbers and their range into almost every US state and nearly all of the Canadian provinces. They are still missing from some portions of Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.
Unlike most mammals, raccoons have adapted well to human habitation. They have proliferated in agricultural areas and urban cities, finding food in dumpsters, chicken coops, grain fields and other sources made possible by human activity. Most large American cities have substantial populations. In addition to crop lands and cities, these creatures have adapted to almost every habitat niche excluding extremely arid desert regions.
The North American Raccoon now has introduced populations established in many foreign countries. Russia, Germany and Japan all have reproducing populations of wild raccoons that were introduced in their countries sometime during the twentieth century. They have also spread into each of the nations bordering Germany.
In cities and on farms the animal can be a problem. They not only tip over trash cans and invade dumpsters, but they also feed on poultry house eggs and on cash crops like sweet corn. They can also pose a problem to pet owners as they may injure dogs or cats, especially if they are cornered. Many private agencies will provide removal services for a fee. These companies can be found online or in your local yellow pages. Animal control agents can be called to remove vicious animals that pose a threat to humans or to their pets.
In the wild, many are killed by vehicles or hunters. Life expectancies average under three years in the wild, although captive raccoons can live twenty years or longer. In addition to road mortality and hunting, some specimens succumb to natural predators like owls, coyotes and bobcats though predator mortality is not a significant control on populations.
Raccoons are a carrier of rabies. A little over one third of rabies cases in the United States are traced to raccoons. For this reason, a specimen that looks sickly or acts aggressive should be reported to authorities and it should not be handled. Fortunately, however they rarely transmit rabies to humans, but precautions should be exercised nevertheless.
Being a neighbor to a raccoon can be interesting or annoying. The animals are abundant in many areas and frequently cause problems in areas where they are too common. However, they remain an amusing and entertaining creature that many people enjoy seeing.
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