Be Watchful of Aggressive Raccoons in Area

By: Sharon Aron Baron

As if we don’t have enough wildlife to contend with here in the Woodlands.  Now we have aggressive raccoons.

When I think about raccoons, I think about those furry little guys that get into our garbage and typically run away when they see a human.

Not so, according to Section Two resident Sandy Enriquez who says that aggressive raccoons have attacked two people there.  In one incident, a neighbor was walking his dog when a raccoon came out of nowhere and ran up his leg.  His dog broke free from his leash and then the raccoon tried to go after him.

Unfortunately, the county won’t do anything and the only way we can remove them is to trap them which could cost upwards of $100 she said.

Section Two resident Kevin Muscolino says that an aggressive raccoon tried to attack him the other day but luckily his dogs kept it at bay.  He called the county and they would not send anyone to remove it.   He questioned why they wouldn’t remove these dangerous animals when they send trappers to remove alligators from our canals.

Until we can control the raccoons in the Woodlands, here’s what you can do to keep them at bay:

• Check the areas around your home and clean up all the garbage, paper, food, fruit that fell from trees. Totally clean the area. After it’s spotless, walk around your home again and do a double check.  Do not leave dog or cat food outside

• Use a lid securing device such as Raccoon Green Bin Solution (www.raccoonsolutions.com).

• Place heavy weights on the lids when there is garbage, food or water in these trash cans.

• Keep the cans smelling clean by washing them out with the hose every so often. Tip them upside down so they don’t store water for mosquitoes or for raccoons to drink. 

• Make sure that any outside tables and chairs do not have even a crumb on them when you retire for the night.

• Store the trash cans indoors or in the garage or somewhere inside if you are gone for a long time or if you see animals around in the neighborhood.

• If you have meat or very tempting food in the trash, always double plastic bag it before throwing it away in the cans and put a little bleach or strong cleanser on the bag outside before depositing it in the can.

• You must identify points of entry. You’re looking for holes 3 inches in diameter or bigger. If they’re in your attic or crawl space, look under nooks, or broken vents. If you hear them in your crawl space look for broken vents or borrows.

• Soak up 3-5 tennis balls with ammonia and throw them inside and around the places you think they’re nesting.

• Try to seal off any entrances in your yard such as gaps in your fence. Try to purchase a cheaper fence and block it.