When Raccoons Attack!

If you live in Midtown, you’ve probably seen wild raccoons roaming around at night searching for garbage. Generally they keep to themselves, but in the last few weeks there have been three incidents in Midtown in which raccoons attacked humans, apparently unprovoked. The incidents have occurred at Ninth and P, Third and P, and most recently 21st and D on September 5th. In all three cases, the people attacked were walking small dogs (coincidence?).

Sacramento seems to be taking these incidents very seriously–FOX 40 reported live several times during Tuesday’s incident, and there was a front page article in the Bee last Wednesday discussing Sacramento’s “shift in its relationship with its wild-animal neighbors.”   Last Tuesday, animal control responded to the attack by sending an officer into the trees with a shotgun. The officer fired three shots and killed all three raccoons (nice shot!). The animals are now being tested for rabies.

Although I had to chuckle when watching FOX40’s live updates on Tuesday–I mean, really, is the most breaking news in Sacramento really a raccoon attack?–the situation is a little creepy. I was recently walking through Midtown at night and found myself imagining raccoons springing on me from the trees. Most likely, as the Bee’s article states, the raccoons have simply become more accustomed to living among humans and can see pedestrians as getting between them and their food. Small dogs are also potential competitors for food, which is probably why the raccoons attacked in these incidents.

Hopefully we aren’t facing a raccoon apocalypse, but until we know for sure, you should probably avoid walking your small dogs at night and/or near dumpsters, and carry a shotgun at all times if you can.