Oct 8, 2024 - News

Washington state woman calls cops over raccoon mob

Christine Clarridge

Hundreds of raccoons visit a Kitsap County yard where a woman had been feeding them for years. — A Kitsap County resident called police after she was overrun by raccoons. Photo: Courtesy of the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office

When wildlife experts say not to feed wild animals, they're not kidding, as one Poulsbo-area woman recently found out the hard way.

What happened: The woman was overrun by more than a hundred raccoons forcefully demanding food last week, causing her to hide in her car and call police, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.

She told deputies she'd been feeding raccoons at her home for 35 years, but that they had become increasingly audacious and hostile about six weeks ago.

State of play: Deputies referred the woman to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), whose wildlife conflict specialists advised the woman to stop feeding the raccoons, said WDFW spokesperson Chase Gunnell.

What they're saying: "Once raccoons and other wild animals become habituated to people, they can exhibit dangerous, aggressive behavior," he said.

What's next: If cutting off the raccoons' food supply doesn't work, the woman may have to call a certified Wildlife Control Operator, Gunnell told Axios.

That could lead to euthanization of the animals, he said.

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Washington state woman calls cops over raccoon mob

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