Bizarre racoon experience yesterday

[leenie]

Well yesterday on a sunny afternoon around 5pm we were all out in the backyard, me, 3 boys, dog and chickens. I turn around to see a racoon walking straight toward us and he is closing in at 40 feet. I tell the kids to get inside, I call the chickens who follow me into the coop and my son shuts the coop door. We try to get the dog to run to the house but she finally sees the racoon and pushes it up a tree which it only held on to for a very short while.

I'll be calling animal control this morning. We only had our airsoft guns ready at hand inside the door and ran him alway with those. . .
No free ranging for my ladies today and I'll be better prepared outside until we resolve this.

Suggestions?

 

[aprophet]

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/nuisance/trappers/

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know your specific conditions and what is legal for you. I think calling animal control to find out what your options are is your best move. There is no guarantee that your local laws and regulations will allow them to help you, but someone there should at least know what your options are and may have some resources, such as traps you can borrow. If you do trap it, I request you not relocate it to the country. We already have plenty of predators and don't need another one. Relocating is probably illegal anyway.

I do think you need to try to remove it. It now knows where food is and will almost certainly be back. Removing this one will increase the safety of your chickens since it is aware of them, but if there is one, there are more. It may take years, but another one will eventually find them. A daytime experience like that is a bit rare but not as rare as people would have you believe. Predators are much more active at night, but as you saw, they can be active during daylight hours too. Despite the old wive's tale, it does not mean they have rabies, just that they are out during the daylight hours, but consider raccoons dangerous to you and your dogs. Their teeth and claws are dangerous weapons and they can easily kill a grown hound dog.

Good luck!

 

[turtlebird]

Nocturnal predators out in the light of day walking towards humans? Makes me think that it might have rabies.

 

[underground chickenman]

What ever you do, stay away from that raccoon. A raccoon being that bold during broad day light is a dangerous sign. It can be a symptom of rabies. I am not saying that healthy raccoons don't occasionally make a daytime appearance, but the daylight and boldness should at least give you cause for pause.

Be careful and let us know what happens.

UGCM

 

[FiveHens]

That's weird. Animal control or a large animal trap used with gloves going somewhere far away.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
distemper can/will do the same thing the bad part is coon carry both types and can transmit either type to felines or canines. Animal control in Va usually refers the homeowner to VDGIF about wildlife problems . Animal control in most localities in Va. handles feral companion animals is all, I see coon mostly at dawn /dusk this time of the year it is not uncommon to see mom and small ones in daylight sometimes just Mom. you getting between said animal and its food source can cause such behavior . good luck with your birds

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
agreed

 

[hipeatall]

That is scary! Good thing you were out there to coop the chickens... and the kiddos

I live out in the sticks and I have to say... please please please don't trap and dump raccoons out in the country. Not that any of you would do something like this... but, some people really don't realize that doing this doesn't fix the problem... it just makes it someone elses problem... like mine... eek.

 

[bobbi-j]

Raccoons usually are not that bold. I agree with possible rabies or distemper. We're in MN where skunks are most likely to carry rabies, but my vet told me that in the eastern states it's more likely to be coons. Relocating it would only spread the problem and disease elsewhere.