Imagine stepping outside of your house to see 100 large raccoons demanding food. Such was the case for a woman in Washington. The unnamed lady called 911 when confronted by a massive group of these hungry but very smart creatures surrounding her house.
Of course, there’s more to this disturbing raccoon story—and a reason for the ambush. The woman had allegedly been feeding local raccoons in her town of Poulsbo, northwest of Seattle, for 35 years.
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It wasn’t until recently that the situation escalated out of her control.
“The woman says the raccoons often surround her day and night demanding food,” said the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. “And she says she’s been quoted prices as high as $500 per raccoon to trap and relocate them.”
The dangers of feeding raccoons
While I’m sure the Washington woman thought she was doing a good deed, this is a classic case of “fuck around and find out.”
According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, “Feeding raccoons may create undesirable situations for you, your children, neighbors, pets, and the raccoons themselves. Raccoons that are fed by people often lose their fear of humans and may become aggressive when not fed as expected.”
Artificial feeding, the department continued, can also lead to overcrowding—for instance, 100 raccoons—and the spread of diseases and parasites.
A spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife explained that the Poulsbo woman is “working with a trapper” to mitigate the situation. Unfortunately, all trapped animals must either be released on-site or euthanized, the spokesperson said.
