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Wild Toronto: Raccoon

By Rosemary Mosco

Wild Toronto is a bi-weekly comic strip about the animals and plants that make a living in our city. Rosemary Mosco makes the comics, and would love to hear your suggestions (in the comments!) on wildlife to be profiled.
2008_07_03raccoon.gif

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  • beth maher

    Fascinating, but how do I get them to stop pooing on my deck and digging up my strawberrys?
    Man, I am not raccoons biggest fans right now.
    But this comic is still pretty.

  • andrew

    Maybe coating your deck in something they don’t wanna touch? Then again, these are the critters that regularly raid garbage cans and green bins for things they find tasty, so who knows what the heck that would be?
    The comic is prettier than real life.

  • greatcop

    I saw my first one about a month ago creeping around a school by my apartment, and it scared the shit out of me, and thus began my irrational fear of masked rodents (they’re rodents, right?)

  • rek

    I think it was on the BBC’s Secret Life of Mammals, or maybe one of the Planet Earth episodes, where they said a raccoon’s sense of touch is sensitive enough it can double as hearing when the paws are under water. Maybe I’m twisting that around in my head though.

  • spacejack

    That reminds me. I caught these guys lazing around on a neighbour’s rooftop the other day.

  • Ben

    They are much closer to bears than they are to rodents.
    spacejack, that is a great photo.

  • xtremesniper

    I absolutely hate raccoons, and would not hesitate to harm one if I had the chance. All they do is:
    1. Rip off the shingles on my roof just outside my bedroom window.
    2. Wake me up in the process of the previous point at 5 in the morning.
    3. Poop all over the roof.
    Get off my roof, stop damaging my roof, stop waking me up, and stop giving me that stupid stare when I look at you through the window.
    Die.

  • Mark Ostler

    I was under the impression that they’re felines, and pretty cute ones at that.
    Also, if you want to put an end to a raccoon reign of terror over your property, consider marking your territory. It’ll show ‘em who’s boss.

  • Ben

    xtremesniper: consider using wolf or bear urine to keep them away.

  • Rosemary Mosco

    I think they’re pretty separate from felines and rodents, just a different group of carnivores, but I’m no biologist so I’m hoping one chimes in :)
    Raccoons can definitely be a bit scary. Once, downtown at 4am, I saw one look both ways and let a car pass before crossing the street. It blew my mind.
    Spacejack, that photo is pretty darn cute, though.

  • xtremesniper

    Mark & Ben:
    We have tried a variety of solutions, including ammonia and random “critter be gone” type products, but these guys seem to be pretty relentless. One time it took a poop on the rag that was soaked with ammonia in what I can only guess was its way of saying “mine now”.
    And if you call Animal Services, you pay a hundred or two hundred bucks for them to move the thing, but they just toss it at the nearest park. Raccoons aren’t stupid. They will just find their way back again, or another raccoon will find the spot instead.

  • Mark Ostler

    You’re right Rosemary. Raccoons are members of the Procyonidae family, and of the Procyon genus. I guess I just always thought of them as felines, but come to think of it, they’re wicked slow. Felines are generally faster and more nimble.

  • robswizzle

    As always, terrific work Rosemary!