Raccoons in my yard
One of my neighbors was bitten by her dog during a fracas with four raccoons. Now she’s determined to trap the raccoons and relocate them. Guess what? When those four raccoons go, four more will move into the area to take their place.
The bite, the fight, the fright, none of this was necessary. Why did it happen? Dog food on the deck.
Many people, especially pet owners, are skittish about raccoons in their yards. Okay, but lots of other neighborhood people enjoy seeing urban wildlife. How can urban dwellers stop worrying and enjoy being a part of the daily raccoon feeding circuit?
First, understand that raccoons eat most anything, fruit, slugs, snails, crayfish, fish, worms, insects, dead animals, small birds, bird eggs, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. They like nothing better than to find cat and dog food sitting on the back steps. Removing pet food is the first step towards reducing the possibility of confrontations with raccoons.
Next, make sure your trash can is secure. Last night’s fish bones would be a favored food for your neighborhood bandits. Ditto for your compost. If you put food of any kind in your compost, be sure it’s the secured bin. Finally, clear excess fruit tree drop from areas where your pets and children play.
Fall is a time when you see more raccoons because the young born that spring remain with their parents. Feeding wildlife supports the population in an unnatural way. All the young born each spring will not normally survive to the next year, and this is a good thing.
Feeding makes wild mammals aggressive. If your neighborhood raccoons seem overly bold, someone is feeding them. Feeding raccoons teaches that people are sources of food. This is how animals accustomed to avoiding you become unafraid.
Many cities are lucky to have specialists in urban wildlife, as we do here in Portland, Oregon. The Audubon Society of Portland’s Urban Wildlife Resource Office helps residents understand, appreciate, and cope with backyard wildlife.
What should my neighbor have done differently? She should never have put her hand into a group of fighting animals. She should have used a rake or better, a hose to spray water to break up the fight. If she hadn’t fed her animals outside, the situation would not have happened.
Now that you know, think ahead—-and enjoy watching your backyard wildlife.
