An article I wrote this week about raccoons in the area enlightened me on some of the differences between wildlife in Alberta and Ontario, where I'm from originally.
When I found out about a local resident's run-in with a couple of raccoons, I didn't really understand what the big deal was. In my hometown in Oakville, raccoons are a common sight after dusk, and increasingly, before.
Back home, it's a rule of thumb that you don't leave your garbage out on the curb the night before garbage pick-up because you will find leftovers from a raccoon family's feast scattered all over your lawn the next morning.
But these masked critters have become so used to humans, they have become increasingly gutsy in their quest for food. I recall pulling up the driveway one afternoon and finding one in the garage, working to get the locked lid off the trashcan, in broad daylight. I suppose you would have expected the car to have frightened it off, but this was not the case. I've seen people try to shoo them away with brooms because they won't run away frightened, like most animals would.
But no matter how obnoxious these overfed furry feigns are, I would never have imagined "destroying" them, as a Fish and Wildlife officer recently told me people can do here.
Really? Are raccoons really that pesky here? Aren't they a rare sight anyway?
I think I gave the Fish and Wildlife officer a good laugh when I asked if there was any political will to change the treatment of raccoons.
But on a more serious note, I would be more apathetic to this destruction suggestion if they were harassing someone's cattle or causing some sort of legitimate harm. Fish and Wildlife says they can be pesky by getting into a composter, garbage can or a dog or cat food dish left on someone's deck.
Well, of course if you leave food outside it will attract wild animals, especially if you live in a rural area. Frankly, that's just being negligent.
Since raccoons here are not as used to humans as they are in urban centres, I imagine it would run away the second you knocked on the window or made some noise.
So how can this be grounds to kill an animal? What if the neighbour's dog wandered over and started eating out of your dog's dish that you left outside? You wouldn't shoot it. It'd be like leaving candy in a child's room and expecting them not to eat it. If you put it up in a cupboard out of reach and they concoct a scheme to get at it, the way a raccoon might find its way into your garage and work to get a locked lid off a garbage bin, that's a different story.
My second issue with this is that there is no way to ensure that they are being killed humanely since they aren't even legislated. When legislated animals are hunted there are regulations in place to ensure they are killed in a humane manor.
The so-called "problem" with raccoons does not validate the solution. There is no real problem. I don't think people should have the right to shoot these "pests" for just taking what is made conveniently available to them, especially since there are so few of them here. They're living creatures with families too, and don't deserve to die for something so trivial. The save the raccoons 'campaign' is now accepting letters of support or opposition at [email protected].
