Sheriff’s deputies in Kitsap County, Washington, frequently receive calls about animals: loose livestock, problem dogs. But the 911 call they received recently from a woman being stalked by dozens of raccoons invading her home near Poulsbo stood out.
The woman said she had to flee her property after 50 to 100 raccoons swooped on her and behaved aggressively, said Kevin McCarty, a sheriff’s office spokesman. She told deputies that she began feeding a family of raccoons several decades ago and that everything was going well until about six weeks earlier, when the number of raccoons increased from a handful to about 100.
“She said these raccoons were becoming more and more aggressive, demanding food, stalking her day and night – scratching the outside of her house, at the door. If she stopped her car, they would surround her, scratch her, surround her if she went from her front door to her car or got out at all,” McCarty said. “They saw it as a food source now, so they kept coming back to it and they were always waiting for food. »
It’s not clear what caused their numbers to suddenly rise. The sheriff’s office and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife determined no laws were broken, McCarty said.
“This is a nuisance problem of its own making and which it must deal with,” he said. Sheriff’s Office video shows raccoons moving around trees, and responding officers observed 50 to 100, he added.
Bridget Mire, a spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said by email that under state law it is illegal to feed large carnivores, such as bears or cougars. Although municipalities or counties may have local laws prohibiting feeding other wildlife, doing so is not currently against state law, she said.
Regardless, the agency advises people against feeding wildlife. Raccoons, for example, can carry diseases and food can also attract predators such as coyotes and bears, according to Mire.
Mire said an agency wildlife conflict specialist met with the woman, who stopped feeding the creatures.
“The raccoons appear to have begun to disperse now that they are no longer being fed, and we are pleased with the positive outcome of this case,” Mire wrote.
Poulsbo is about a 90-minute drive and ferry ride northwest of Seattle.
