Killed raccoon by mistake

[LynneP]

Not sure if this is helpful to anyone, but I killed a raccoon ( young boar) by mistake while draining a rain barrel for winter. I had opened the valve on the bottom, unaware that some local raccoons must have been using the barrel as a water source. The barrel would have been about 2/3 empty when a raccoon fell? in and drowned. I believe it happened while I was in the barn at dawn because the barrel was clear and full at that time and I found him about an hour and a half later but hadn'd heard anything or I would have assisted him. Perhaps the raccoon expected the water to be within inches of the top? I know that drowning traps are used for skunks, and that rain barrels can be dangerous for cats but I suppose there is a method here. I'm not experimenting, I've emptied the barrel for the winter and it's upside down now.

 

[mikeksfarmer]

Thats great I always have to put my in a live catch trap to drown them. I think the trap is probably faster as yours probably struggled on the surface for a while. Well if you got poultry you need to be getting rid of your raccoons. Drowning is better than running off with a bullet hole in you.
I read a story about a guy who made traps using water. Hanging bate over the water so they fall in then drown. Just dont leave em in the water too long. Soup tastes bad when its cooked that way.

 

[amazondoc]

You just never know what an animal is going to figure out how to get into, do you? Sorry about his demise!

I was sorry when my dogs killed a raccoon recently, too. But in his case, I figured any coon dumb enough to venture into an area that smelled like 15 large dogs was just asking for trouble. In your case, it sounds like the young guy didn't have enough experience of the world yet. I guess that's one reason why so few wild animals make it to maturity -- experience is often fatal!

 

[patvetzal]

This time of year he probably got hypothermia and died before he got exhausted and drowned. Either way he would have made better eating with a quick death.....and its one less problems for your chooks.

 

[LynneP]

I feel badly about this kit, though. He was the only survivor of a small litter out of a raccoon named Mary, who is a rare 'nice' raccoon. She lives with our feral cats and we have the coop/run set up so she never gets to our birds. She did a great job with this baby. We've made a screened top for this rain barrel, which no animals ever seemd to investigate, but which evidently needed one all along.

 

[patandchickens]

I understand your feeling bad, but when you're a wild animal sometimes these things happen. While not the quickest death possible it was also far from the slowest and most painful.

Also, his mum may be "a nice raccoon" but there is really a limit to how much raccoon population a person needs around, especially with cats and chickens. Not only are they predators, and potential rabies sources if your ferals aren't regularly vaccinated, but I've seen some *horrific* injuries to cats who tangled with a raccoon.

Condolences,

Pat

 

[eggchel]

I found a drowned possum in one of our big stock tanks. The water level was low, during the hottest part of the summer, and I guess it leaned in too far.

 

[LynneP]

That's very true Pat, and Mary is a genuine surprise. I've often wondered if one of the cats brought her home from a raccoon nest. I guess every species has exceptions. No raccoon rabies here, yet. But yes, not a species I wouls have in my barn by choice, but she's, um. a sweetie (acts like a cat). They groom her, too.

 

[patandchickens]

A thought for those with open tanks, buckets, rainbarrels, etcetera...

It can save a lot of critters' lives to prop a piece of 2x4 in there, or if horses are not involved

you can tie a couple pieces of THICK nylon rope to a brick in the tub and a cinderblock outside, or anything similar, so that when things fall in (since they will) they have some shot at climbing back out.

Pat

 

[ninjapoodles]

We are constantly fishing squirrels out of our horse troughs. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to find an actual live squirrel instead instead of a little squirrel-corpse. Sadly, the survivors are not usually grateful .