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In the 2004 movie Resident Evil:Apocalypse, Toronto stood in for the fictional zombie-infested Raccoon City. While the location decision was likely driven by cost considerations rather than nomenclature, the name is pretty accurate. Toronto has one of the largest raccoon populations of any city in North America, and with summer over, they’re looking to move into attics, sheds, chimneys, and anywhere else they can find a warm, dry space. They’re smart, resourceful, and with those adorable bandit mask faces, arguably the cutest of the disease-bearing urban rodents. However, even the most live and let live city-dwellers generally prefer not to have their wiring gnawed through by sharp little raccoon teeth, or their garbage and green bin stuff strewn up and down the street every trash collection day.
Back in the old days, if you had trouble with varmints in the turnip patch, the solution was easy; you’d head to the back 40 with your 12 gauge and blast away at anything that wasn’t wearing overalls. Nowadays firearms restrictions and animal cruelty regulations prohibit this kind of quick and convenient answer, so what can you do? Well, the City of Toronto offers the following tips for raccoon removal:
Encourage raccoons to leave on their own by making the home unlivable. Try: • sprinkling naptha flakes around the area • hanging ammonia-soaked rags • playing a loud radio tuned to an all-talk station • keeping the area brightly lit. Important: make sure the light source is not a potential fire hazard.
Keep in mind that these techniques may have the knock-on effect of making the home unlivable for you too. Read on after the jump for more raccoon related tips.
If you don’t feel confident enough to tackle the raccoon problem alone, the Toronto Animal Control automated raccoon hotline recommends contacting a private wildlife removal service. Torontoist called AAA Wildlife Removal, whose unlikely slogan is “The Animal’s Choice” (raccoons, given a say in the matter, would probably choose not to be removed at all). Starting at about $300 for an initial consultation, what AAA will do is find out where your woodland friends are living, force or lure them out and secure the premises to make sure that they don’t come back. You’d also do well to secure any other vulnerable areas of your home, since the now refugee raccoons are going to be looking for a new crib, and better your neighbours than you (Since 1999, provincial law has banned the relocation of wild animals, because the practice can spread disease).
Another option is just to let the raccoons stay put, grow old, raise a family and celebrate the holidays with you. Not only is it humane, but when raccoons evolve opposable thumbs and take over the planet, maybe they’ll let you live under the porch.
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Raccoons are not rodents.
That's true but I felt the word was more accessible than "procyonid". I'll sacrifice accuracy for expediency every time.
Hear that rek? This man will never report for "The Sun".
What? Let the raccoons remain? Have you lost your freaking mind? It's obvious you've never lived in a house with raccoons in the eaves - they're insanely noisy at night, they do countless thousands of dollars damage to literally anything they can get in to (walls, electrical, insulation/soffits, etc) if left unchecked, their dried feces can dust and spread serious disease.
The best raccoon is one squashed and flattened on the road. I do a little giggle of glee every time I see one dead by the road in the city. Hell, if I had a car, i'd go trolling for them at night!
(/loathes raccoons, had a year of sleep interrupted by the little f$%kers)
Boo to you, Snailspace!
I love those furry little critters and it warms my heart to see them padding across the street, eating garbage or doing other generally annoying vermin type things.
Because they're cute!
DRH - The Sun eschews hyperbole, prefering a sensible regimen of detached objectivity over sensationalist headline whoring. Right?
You suck, Snailspace.
Urban wildlife adds does a lot of good. Think of all the food that would be lying around everywhere if it weren't for pigeons, seagulls, squirrels, raccoons, crows etc.
It is also nice to think that there is still an ecosystem even in the city. We should not try to remove that just for some misguided ideal of living in an abiotic city.
Think of all the poop that wouldn't be lying around everywhere without the pigeons and seagulls. Seriously, open season on those flying rats.
"Back in the old days, if you had trouble with varmints in the turnip patch, the solution was easy; you’d head to the back 40 with your 12 gauge and blast away at anything that wasn’t wearing overalls."
Well, that made me laugh. Torontoist needs more humor injection like this.
That line about the 12 gauge -- i haven't heard that word(s) in a long time. The outskirt of windsor where i grew up (where i'm convienently writing from thanks to the internet and thanksgiving) had a lot of farm kids going to the same school i went to. not just farm kids, but kids from houses in rural areas that should be farm but were really suburbs spread out. there was always talk from the boys about their use of the 12 Guage, for good, and sometimes for bad. Like shooting sparrows, and etc.
These were the days before Terror and before School Schootings, so we didn't think much of it.
O.K. I've always been fascinated with the little masked bandits and even had a baby one for a pet for awhile! That was when i lived in the city, now I moved to a piece of land on the outskirts near the river and there are Raccoons everywhere!!!! they poop wherever they feel the need and they are starting to open secured cans with grains for the horses inside the barn!!!Not to mention they scare the children when they go running when they see humans, and even more when they don't run when they see humans!! Ive had enough! but i do see both sides of this arguement."ADOREABLE" they ARE!! "A NUICENCE" they ARE!!
I have found a solution. Oscarnet. It makes your garbage raccoon proof.
Just to correct the original story...raccoons are not rodents!
That is all.
If you're having a problem with Raccoons, there are services that will come take them away, and put them back in the ravine, where they belong.
I called- B.H.W.R services. They were professional, quick, and a great price!
They repaird my soffit,other entry points, and "proofed" my home, with a GAURENTEE!
If anyone is interested in the contact info
B.H.W.R, Buchkos Humane Wildlife Removal
Contact: Shawn
Phone: 1-905-966-4057