"Killer" Raccoons in Washington May Be Getting Bum Rap

Richard A. Lovett
for National Geographic News

Updated August 31, 2006

According to widespread news reports, a pack of rampaging raccoons has killed at least ten cats in Washington State's capital city of Olympia (see a map of Washington State).

The masked marauders are also reported to have attacked a small dog and to have forced a pet owner to get rabies shots.

Local resident Lisann Rolle told the Associated Press (AP) that she was bitten when she tried to pull three raccoons off her cat. She says that she now carries an iron pipe when she ventures out at night.

Another resident, Tony Benjamins, told AP, "We used to love the raccoons. They'd have their babies this time of year, and they were so cute. Even though we lived in the city, it was neat to have wildlife around.

"But this year, things changed. They went nuts."

Many parts of the story haven't been confirmed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, says Bob Sallinger, urban conservation director for the Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon.

Even so, this particular neighborhood seems to have a serious raccoon problem, Sallinger says. The way the incidents are being reported, however, may be giving raccoons in general a bum rap.

"More often than not, when we talk about wildlife-related cat disappearances, we're talking coyotes," he said. (Related news: "Are Coyotes Becoming More Aggressive?" [June 2005].)

"When you take into account cars, poison, coyotes, et cetera, the average life expectancy of outdoor cats is two years."

In addition, Sallinger notes, if people see an aggressive raccoon, they tend to jump to conclusions.

Dogfight

It's not common for raccoons to stalk household pets, Sallinger says. More typical is the experience of Vera Jagendorf, a friend of this reporter, who lives on the suburban fringes of Portland.

Last year two of her dogs, a Jack Russell terrier and a German shepherd, got in a fight with a raccoon.

In this case it was the dogs that were the aggressors, with Jagendorf and her husband frantically trying to pull them away.

Raccoons may look cute, Jagendorf says, but they're quite capable of defending themselves. Even with two dogs against a single raccoon, the tussle was a standoff.

"Later an animal control officer told us that a raccoon can drown a dog in two inches [five centimeters] of water just by holding its nose under water."

Audubon's Sallinger thinks this scenario might be an urban legend, but he agrees that raccoons can be vicious fighters when the need arises.

"I wouldn't put my money on a dog against a raccoon," he said.

When raccoon conflicts occur, Sallinger says, they're almost always caused by people leaving food outdoors—a filled trash bin, a bowl of pet food, or even a deliberate effort to feed wildlife.

"Almost all of our problem raccoons or coyotes are precipitated by feeding," he said. "Someone feels sorry for them and starts putting out dog and cat food."

Cities do provide some of the United States' more important wildlife habitats, he notes.

Portland, for example, hosts 209 species of birds, counting migrants that pass through regularly.

The city also has 5 percent of Oregon's peregrine falcons—a species on the U.S. endangered species list—and the state's largest wild population of painted turtles.

But, Sallinger says, people need to recognize that creatures such as raccoons and coyotes are wild animals. That means respecting them from a distance and avoiding behaviors that cause them to lose their instinctual fear of humans.

"People have this sentimental view of wildlife," Sallinger said, "and, with the best of intentions, tend to act in ways that ultimately put themselves, their pets, and the animal they want to help at risk."

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