Raccoon alert in Toronto

[Catherine]

So far there is no report of rabies in Toronto raccoons. It is still wise to be careful. There is rabies in the province and there are ways it could travel to Toronto. It is always good to be cautious around wildlife like our raccoons. They have little or no fear of humans and they are used to our ways. The raccoons are also very clever. They can get into garages and attics and people's kitchens. They know how to open cupboards and frigs and generally help themselves.

We have a love hate relationship with our raccoons. Some people love them and like having them around.  Other people hate them even if they are not bothering anything.  They are protected by law, but there have been some ugly incidents of raccoon abuse and murder. If a rabid raccoon gets into the city it is probably going to be a raccoon hater who gets bitten. The person will try to drive the raccoon away and it will attack them. The rest of us will respect the raccoon's boundaries and back away from a raccoon that is acting strangely. 

Since rabies is so dangerous I figured I should give people a warning to be careful.