racoon on fire escape
Ive been feeding this cat on my fire escape, and today i spotted what i thought was a rather large cat munching on cat food, and upon closer look, was a racoon!!!
I'm on the the third floor, with my kitchen window facing all of the backyards on my block.
The raccoon has been eating up the food all week and is bound to return, so is there a number or dept i can call to try to get rid of it? 311?
I'm posting this in the pets section as well, although this is a more of a "pest" issue!!
:shock:
I'm on the the third floor, with my kitchen window facing all of the backyards on my block.
The raccoon has been eating up the food all week and is bound to return, so is there a number or dept i can call to try to get rid of it? 311?
I'm posting this in the pets section as well, although this is a more of a "pest" issue!!
:shock:
Comments
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um, so why don't you just stop putting food out? raccoons have to live too.
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findcate wrote: um, so why don't you just stop putting food out? raccoons have to live too.
uhm because there is a rabies outbreak and we have had a problem with an aggressive raccoon.
311 will get you nowhere. You might try the dept. of health. If they don't remove this aggressive raccoon soon (it has gotten into my house and attacked my neighbors in their yard)--I will poison it. -
kensingtonmom wrote: [quote=findcate]um, so why don't you just stop putting food out? raccoons have to live too.
uhm because there is a rabies outbreak and we have had a problem with an aggressive raccoon.
311 will get you nowhere. You might try the dept. of health. If they don't remove this aggressive raccoon soon (it has gotten into my house and attacked my neighbors in their yard)--I will poison it.
My thoughts exactly. I obviously cant control who or what eats the food i put out, but if its gonna be a creature thats potentially dangerous to humans and other animals i dont want to act like its OK for it to be running around in our backyards where children play etc.
As far as the cat goes, ive taken it in so it wont be killed by the racoon. -
kensingtonmom wrote: If they don't remove this aggressive raccoon soon ... I will poison it.
Rather extreme. I would think that that could get you in to a bit of trouble. If it has attacked you, I'm sure that there's someone that you can call... In fact, when cat trapping, raccoon traps are used - maybe if you asked nice, someone would let you borrow one...? -
kensingtonmom wrote: I will poison it.
raccoons are protected by law. it is a FEDERAL OFFENSE for you to kill wildlife. don't even think about it, lady. :evil: :evil:
Cabaki, one avenue you could try is to contact the regional Dept. of Environmental Conservation: (718) 482-4900. there are nuisance wildlife control persons licensed by the state that can be hired to deal with problem raccoons. these folks can give you a list. and for now, stop putting food out, cuz it's only attracting the raccoon. please be careful: raccoons can carry diseases such as rabies and distemper, so it's best if you leave it to the professionals.
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rabies? really? hmmm. I'm not sure the trap plan would work, after it was trapped what would cabaki do with it?
if you don't want a raccoon climbing your fire escape to get food, don't put food out on your fire escape--and maybe teach your kids to steer clear of ferocious wildlife. definitely a lesson worth learning. -
findcate wrote: rabies? really? hmmm. I'm not sure the trap plan would work, after it was trapped what would cabaki do with it?
Release it in it's natural environment! Jersey City should do...
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Thanks for the advice everyone. Yes, obviously I'm going to stop putting food out and let the natural food chain cycle exist as is in my backyard. You're on your own now raccoon!
I will try contacting the numbers provided to see what advice they suggest. Hope its not one of the problematic ones.....
:? -
There's that wildlife removal guy with the ghostbusters mobile I see now and then. I don't have his number, but I reckon he's in the yellow pages.
A FEDERAL OFFENSE to kill a racoon? RLY? I had to blast a couple that were bothering my cats back when I was a teenager - I'm glad I didn't know it then or I would have been sweating there for a few years until the statute of limitations ran out.
By the way, cats can do a pretty good job of harassing a racoon if there are at least three of them. I didn't want to take chances though.
Edit for Update: "Raccoons are protected by law. No one may possess a raccoon without a license, and licenses are not issued for pet wildlife. Hunting or trapping raccoons requires a license. The law allows unlicensed homeowners and farmers to destroy raccoons that damage property. (italics mine) However, property owners should try eliminating food and shelter before killing the animal."
Source: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/wildgame/cooninny.htm -
Drano wrote: A FEDERAL OFFENSE to kill a racoon? RLY?
absolutely, positively. ya can't kill wildlife. however, if the wildlife destroys property or attacks a human with intent, homeowners have the right to defend themselves. that's also the law.
if the raccoon poses a real problem, then licensed trappers can trap it and it can be euthanized humanely.
K-mom pissed the bleepin' hell out of me. have any idea how much suffering a creature goes through before it dies from some random poison left out by some stupid, inconsiderate yahoo? bet she uses glue traps on mice, too, dontcha K-mom? -
shishkab wrote: [raccoons are protected by law. it is a FEDERAL OFFENSE for you to kill wildlife. don't even think about it, lady.
Actually it is not. You can kill a rabid animal and I have had to have one raccoon killed before. I am an animal lover but....I am worried this raccoon will bite one of the stray cats. -
a:
the critter-buster ambulance guy has his cool old ambulance parked on my block.
b: do we KNOW the raccoon is rabid? is it acting like a rabid raccoon? if a person were to attempt to poison the raccoon, could you be sure that it was the raccoon who ate the poison?
i'm being too nice about this. only a complete shithead psycho would poison and torture an innocent raccoon. i believe jeffrey dahmer started his illustrious career killing small animals.
do we even know if it's the SAME raccoon?
are you kidding me? i should put up with screaming deranged children running by my apartment window early on a saturday morning, without complaint, but it's ok to murder animals? -
My friend who lives in Windsor Terrace hired a company to trap the raccoons that were living under his backyard deck -- he was concerned for the safety of his young kids. The trapping company supposedly releases the raccoons upstate somewhere, though that may be the equivalent of the "farm" where my parents sent our cats after my brother developed allergies.
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shishkab wrote: [quote=Drano]A FEDERAL OFFENSE to kill a racoon? RLY?
absolutely, positively. ya can't kill wildlife. however, if the wildlife destroys property or attacks a human with intent, homeowners have the right to defend themselves. that's also the law.
if the raccoon poses a real problem, then licensed trappers can trap it and it can be euthanized humanely.
K-mom pissed the bleepin' hell out of me. have any idea how much suffering a creature goes through before it dies from some random poison left out by some stupid, inconsiderate yahoo? bet she uses glue traps on mice, too, dontcha K-mom?
Just link me to the appropriate statue. I'm interested now. I suppose there probably is a general law to keep someone from going on some raccoonocidal rampage just for the hell of it - but the exemption from the protection is pretty broad. I think you'd really need to try if you wanted to get in legal trouble for killing a raccoon on your property.
Speaking of mice, rats, moles, etc., what's the deal there? I assume there's a vermin classification or something? Anyhow, just point me in the right direction and I'll dig it for myself.
Are glue traps really that much worse than the standard kind? In my past experience the "traditional" sort aren't too pleasant - and frequently not instant - either. Ah, well - at least mice are one worry I don't have at the moment. -
Drano wrote:
well, i'm sure it would be hard to get in legal trouble by killing a backyard raccoon unless you tell a message board that gets, i don't know, more than 5k readers a day that you're going to poison one?
Just link me to the appropriate statue. I'm interested now. I suppose there probably is a general law to keep someone from going on some raccoonocidal rampage just for the hell of it - but the exemption from the protection is pretty broad. I think you'd really need to try if you wanted to get in legal trouble for killing a raccoon on your property.
...
Are glue traps really that much worse than the standard kind? In my past experience the "traditional" sort aren't too pleasant - and frequently not instant - either. Ah, well - at least mice are one worry I don't have at the moment.
(and yes, glue traps are pretty inhumane. i'm all about getting rid of vermin, but they shouldn't have to try to chew their legs off to get off the glue trap they're stuck to. not nice.) -
Well, I think KM was expressing frustration. She was posting recently about trying to help some stray cats that were dumped on her street, so I don't think she's really so cold-hearted about animals.
Glue traps are horrible, but the snap traps don't effectuate an instant kill every time. Sometimes only a leg is caught, and that is horrible. Now I have a half-feral cat, and no more mice. -
Rose wrote: Well, I think KM was expressing frustration. She was posting recently about trying to help some stray cats that were dumped on her street, so I don't think she's really so cold-hearted about animals.
Thanks. I actually would not poison on animal (but boy, I do know how to get you guys pissed off. I think I could like being a troll). This particular raccoon, I do believe is rabid and it needs to be removed (having had to deal with rabies upstate before, I know that you are allowed to destroy an animal that is a danger to yourself or your property. We actually had to shoot a raccoon before and the test did come back positive for rabies so I am familiar with what it looks like). I was really frustrated because I spent 2.5 hours on the phone being bounced from one city agency to another to another when all I wanted was someone from public health to a. tell me if the rabies has spread from Queens to Brooklyn yet, b. find out if they can drop some vaccine packs in the park and/or the cemetary and c. how to remove this raccoon and have it destroyed and tested. I never got a straight answer, I got transferred and transferred. I went to my city councilperson's office and he dealt with it and also got the run around. Don't you think SOMEONE would be concerned about a possible rabid animal near a city park that has a lot of rodents and stray cats?
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This raccoon has chased my neighbor twice and tried to bite him. Got into the house and went after another neighbor(Raccoons get into houses but they usually growl and leave, they don't turn and charge). Tried to get into our house and then would not leave when we banged pots and pans to chase it away last night. Finally, we have a lot of stray unvaccinated cats in the neighborhood.
O.K. so that is my point. Relax. YOu don't have to worry about me poisoning a rabid raccoon. -
Drano wrote: Just link me to the appropriate statue.
sure. i'll have to dig for it. there are various laws, both state and federal, but i'll do some looking around over the weekend. it's probably buried in the US Fish & Wildlife website.
All fish and wildlife are protected from random violence. Poisoning wildlife (K-mom's threat) is illegal because it is nondiscriminatory and as such may kill many species, not just one particluar target.
vermin such as rats and mice can be classified as a public health risk, and these and other species most definitely cause damage to one's property. as such, they don't fall under the same protections.rose wrote: Well, I think KM was expressing frustration.
you know what, rose? screaming toddlers frustrate me. i would never ever suggest doing something as cruel and inhumane as spiking their juice boxes with strychnine. and i use that example because, like animals, those toddlers are relatively helpless and utterly incapable of protecting themselves from such harm. i am frustrated but humane, therefore i tolerate screaming toddlers by removing myself from their presence. i found K-mom's statement to be profoundly disturbing and cruel. i am not a namby-pamby tree-hugger. in my career in the veterinary field, i have humanely euthanized many animals; it is an unfortunate but important part of my job. i have no problem with a licensed professional trapping and euthanizing the beast if it is deemed neccessary. but i cannot in good conscience tolerate any suggestions of cruelty. it was a tremendously improper statement, and i am incensed. -
i can't believe there are this many posts about a racoon. i predict this thread will surpass the joyce bakeshop thread in popularity within 36 hours.
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shishkab wrote: in my career in the veterinary field, i have humanely euthanized many animals; it is an unfortunate but important part of my job. i have no problem with a licensed professional trapping and euthanizing the beast if it is deemed neccessary. .
It would be great if you could come here and euthanize this raccoon and I would bring it to the department of health wrapped in two plastic bags for testing. I am serious that this raccoon probably is sick with rabies. The only positive thing is that I have been getting such a run around with the city agencies that it should drop dead any day now--I just hope it hasn't infected any of the neighborhood strays. -
plus, i believe that once rabid raccoons, or other rabid animals, are showing signs of the illness they're pretty close to death--please, shish, tell me if i am wrong on this one. ergo, if the SAME raccoon has been "torturing" you for some time it's more likely it's mentally ill instead of rabid.
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kensingtonmom wrote: [quote=shishkab]in my career in the veterinary field, i have humanely euthanized many animals; it is an unfortunate but important part of my job. i have no problem with a licensed professional trapping and euthanizing the beast if it is deemed neccessary. .
It would be great if you could come here and euthanize this raccoon and I would bring it to the department of health wrapped in two plastic bags for testing. I am serious that this raccoon probably is sick with rabies. The only positive thing is that I have been getting such a run around with the city agencies that it should drop dead any day now--I just hope it hasn't infected any of the neighborhood strays.
There is no reason to kill an animal in this case. Call someone over to humanely capture the raccoon. If experts conclude it has rabies, then they will do what they have to. Is that unreasonable?
Raccoons are intelligent and curious creatures. It is not this raccoon's fault that it is in your space, it doesn't understand that. -
brooklynpotter wrote: plus, i believe that once rabid raccoons, or other rabid animals, are showing signs of the illness they're pretty close to death--please, shish, tell me if i am wrong on this one. ergo, if the SAME raccoon has been "torturing" you for some time it's more likely it's mentally ill instead of rabid.
no, that's true. once an animal is exhibiting symptoms of the disease, they usually die within a matter of days to about two weeks.
however, without doing a Rabies 101, part 1 of the problem is that an animal can be infected with the disease (i.e. symptom free) for weeks or even months. HOWEVER, the disease is normally spread to humans through saliva, and by the time it reaches the mouth the animal is exhibiting symptoms. part 2 is that sometimes rabies is what we call "silent" or "dumb". animal never shows signs, never becomes aggressive, etc. those animals are particularly dangerous, which is part of the reason why people should keep a respectful distance between themselves and all wildlife (well, at least the rabies vector species!).
more than likely, the raccoon harrassing K-mom's area is not rabid, but has become extremely used to humans and all the free meals. raccoons can be aggressive creatures even when disease-free so that isn't to say this animal is not dangerous. if this beast is chasing people, whether or not it is rabid, it needs to be removed from the neighborhood. it is posing a threat to human and domestic animal alike, and it will most likely not stop. -
OT -- doublediamond, i love your new avatar!!
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shishkab wrote: more than likely, the raccoon harrassing K-mom's area is not rabid, but has become extremely used to humans and all the free meals. raccoons can be aggressive creatures even when disease-free so that isn't to say this animal is not dangerous. if this beast is chasing people, whether or not it is rabid, it needs to be removed from the neighborhood. it is posing a threat to human and domestic animal alike, and it will most likely not stop..
We have a lot of raccoons in Kensington/Windsor Terrace. I had an entire family living in my shed last year--I like raccoons although I know they are not cuddly teddy bears. I grew up in the country so I am pretty comfortable and familiar with wildlife. This raccoon has gone to another level though of weird behavior. The reason I am concerned is that there currently is rabies in Queens and the Bronx. So I want to know what is the story? Is it here yet. Do I need to worry about all the strays that the community is now caring for? If you are a vet--can you find this out? Do you have special access to the board of health to see if there has been a case reported here yet?
The city will do nothing. I will have to hire a trapper to remove it myself unless it is in the house and stays in the house while I am on hold for 30 minutes and remains in my house while they drive over. -
shishkab wrote: OT -- doublediamond, i love your new avatar!!
heee, thank you. -
Rose wrote: Glue traps are horrible, but the snap traps don't effectuate an instant kill every time. Sometimes only a leg is caught, and that is horrible. Now I have a half-feral cat, and no more mice.
I used to have a cat that had to be worse than any trap. -
kensingtonmom wrote: The reason I am concerned is that there currently is rabies in Queens and the Bronx. So I want to know what is the story? Is it here yet. Do I need to worry about all the strays that the community is now caring for? If you are a vet--can you find this out? Do you have special access to the board of health to see if there has been a case reported here yet?
there have been no reported cases of rabies in brooklyn this year, thank god. i understand you are concerned about the wellfare of other animals in your area -- i may be wrong, but to my knowledge the last reported case of rabies in a domestic species in brooklyn was a stray cat in 2001. the borough hardest hit this year has been Staten Island. here is a link to the summary of the reported cases:
The city will do nothing. I will have to hire a trapper to remove it myself unless it is in the house and stays in the house while I am on hold for 30 minutes and remains in my house while they drive over.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cd/cdrab-borough.shtml#bk
i never said the city will help in a timely fashion, and yes, most likely if you need the animal removed the fastest route would be to hire a trapper yourself. but give a call to the DEC and see what they can suggest. -
Be careful. I grew up with a pet raccoon and it was mean as hell. If this hungry hog of a coon glares at you and starts snorting, run for your life.
(It was a legal pet because it's mother had been killed and it was legally blind). -
shishkab wrote: [quote=kensingtonmom]The reason I am concerned is that there currently is rabies in Queens and the Bronx. So I want to know what is the story? Is it here yet. Do I need to worry about all the strays that the community is now caring for? If you are a vet--can you find this out? Do you have special access to the board of health to see if there has been a case reported here yet?
there have been no reported cases of rabies in brooklyn this year, thank god. i understand you are concerned about the wellfare of other animals in your area -- i may be wrong, but to my knowledge the last reported case of rabies in a domestic species in brooklyn was a stray cat in 2001. the borough hardest hit this year has been Staten Island. here is a link to the summary of the reported cases:
The city will do nothing. I will have to hire a trapper to remove it myself unless it is in the house and stays in the house while I am on hold for 30 minutes and remains in my house while they drive over.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cd/cdrab-borough.shtml#bk
i never said the city will help in a timely fashion, and yes, most likely if you need the animal removed the fastest route would be to hire a trapper yourself. but give a call to the DEC and see what they can suggest.
FYI: A raccoon does not have to have rabies to indulge in the great joy of biting your face off. They are MEAN little fur balls with very sharp teeth. Rabies or not, run for your life!
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