A Washington state woman who had been feeding raccoons from her home for over three decades recently found herself unable to enter her house due to the presence of over 100 of the creatures. The woman, a resident of Poulsbo, had been providing food for the raccoons for 35 years without any issues until six weeks ago when the population suddenly surged. The raccoons began to gather around her suburban property both day and night, seemingly expecting food.
Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene and were taken aback by the sheer number of raccoons. Kevin McCarthy, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told 9News that it was as if the raccoons had communicated amongst themselves and decided to converge on the woman’s house for a meal. He added that no one could recall ever being surrounded by such a large group of raccoons before.
Despite the intimidating number of raccoons, no one was reported to have been bitten or scratched by the animals, which are known to carry diseases such as rabies and roundworm. However, the woman’s neighbors were not pleased with the growing congregation of raccoons. Wendy Cronk, a nearby resident, noted that she had observed an increase in raccoon activity over the past month. Her dogs had even gotten into several altercations with the raccoons, resulting in a trip to the vet for one of her pets.
The woman had reportedly been in touch with a trapping organization to help manage the burgeoning raccoon population, but the quoted price of $500 per raccoon was prohibitive. The Kitsap County Sheriff’s office advised the woman to reach out to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for assistance.
Despite the overwhelming number of raccoons, McCarthy noted that the animals had not committed any crimes. He emphasized that this incident serves as a clear example of why people should refrain from feeding wild animals. He explained that when wild animals have a consistent food source, they will continue to return to it, which can lead to situations like this where the number of animals becomes unmanageable.
Raccoons, while often seen as cute, can cause significant damage if left unchecked. A family in Brooklyn recently experienced this firsthand when a group of raccoons caused over $100,000 worth of damage to their $1.2 million home, a cost not covered by their insurance company.