I hate to think what would happen around here if animal control wasn’t allowed to trap raccoons:
SAN FRANCISCO — In San Francisco’s Richmond District, a couple was attacked they say by a pack of raccoons and if it weren’t for a neighbor who came to their rescue, they believe they might have been seriously injured.
Many neighbors in the area say they don’t like going out after 11 p.m., not because they worry about getting mugged, but because they worry about a confrontation with raccoons.
Patty Upsavs says she and her husband went out Monday night to let their dog get one last walk and that’s when a raccoon pounced.
“So I started swinging the dog around trying to get it off,” Upsavs said.
Then a pack of raccoons attacked.
“And then I got another one on my other leg. And so at this point, I’m in the middle of the street and I look up to see, ‘Where is my husband? How come he’s not helping?’ And I look and he’s throwing… raccoons are just jumping on him,” Upsavs said.
The struggle lasted a few seconds until their neighbor Brian Wong came to their rescue. He ran down the hill with his golf club screaming like crazy. Wong says he used his club to bang on the garbage cans that were left out for trash collection night.
Upsavs suffered several bite wounds and scratches. She and her husband are going through a series of anti-rabies treatments.
Melanie Piazza is an urban wildlife expert at Wild Care in San Rafael. She says people shouldn’t be worried about raccoons attacking them because this was very unusual.
“Typically, the only time they’re going to come into contact with a problem animal again is if somebody has been hand feeding them and their used to people or if it’s a mom defending young and she feels threatened,” Piazza explained.
San Francisco Animal Care and Control told ABC7 News trapping the raccoons isn’t an option because that is against California law.
I suspect that sort of confrontation will become increasingly common. We upset their habitat so they moved into ours. Urban populations of deer, raccoons, and coyotes are growing.
Racoons have been on the move in S. CA neighbors for years. They usually come in pairs or families, and can be quite aggressive when one of their members is threatened in any way. We’ve have a small Koi fish pond for years, which was frequently raided by these animals. One time one clever racoon climbed a nearby tree and fell into the pond, which sent their prey flying out onto the ground for an easy capture and meal — mainly eating the fish’s brain. The local animal control officer said there was nothing they could do about the complaints piling up — mainly for the reasons cited above. We finally built a wire cage around the pond –over the top and all around the sides — and the remaining fish have been left alone. Also, we don’t see racoons cruising the yard anymore, as well.
Why have animal control officers if they can’t control animals legally.
San Francisco Animal Care and Control — We care for animals and control animal removal professionals.
From the linked article: “she’s seen people hand feeding the raccoons often.” (!!!)
I once came across a pack of raccoons in the wild in North Carolina. They looked unnervingly like gangsters and hoodlums. They were not afraid of me, and moved minimally off the trail, as if to say “wanna make somethin of it?”
I think most people would find it terrifying to be attacked by raccoons.