Um, what do raccoons eat? Yesterday I was outside on the patio of the building and a very friendly raccoon came over to my 7-year-old and almost sniffed his hand. He was a big little guy -- a cross between a beagles and a tabby.
I was, sensibly, aware of the possibility of rabies, so I warned Tai-chan away from the little guy but I was wondering what he'd do if I tried to pat him.
Okay, silly question.
Raccoons don't generally eat children. They do eat just about anything else, including chicks (the feathered kind, not women.) Some of them get a little too accustomed to people!
ReplyDeleteKnat,
ReplyDeleteFor once I'm actually serious. (!) I was worried about raccoon aggressive behaviour, because this little guy seemed so sweet, you just want to scoop him up.
That's like picking up a chimpanzee -- next thing you know, you have an appointment at the face transplant center in Mount Sinai and all your fingers are missing so you can't sign your name at the front desk.
Raccoons can get pretty tame when they're living in the city. Unlikely but possible he was rabid, but of course it's never a good idea to start randomly touching wildlife.
ReplyDeleteI've met some pretty bold raccoons... keep reminding Tai-chan NOT TO PET THEM! :)
When we lived in a little cottage on a lake in Quebec for a year, the raccoons would come raid the bird feeders at night. I'd go out to shoo them off, and some of them would just sit there looking at me like I was nuts. They were NOT afraid of me!
I keep missing these comments. Something is wrong with this bloody website.
ReplyDeleteNo, I certainly won't allow Tai-chan to come closer that four feet from the little guys. They have more teeth than a shark and they'll use them, too.
It's not even good to feed them, but what can I do when they sit on their hind legs and beg.