I just came back from pulling a raccoon out of a dumpster. Still kind of shaken by it.
I don't know how it was that I came to specialize in raccoon extraction, but I'm pretty good at it.
That one was a fighter though. She almost got me.
I had a bit of trouble getting a good handle on her, and she kept snapping at my stick. I got my foot on top of her head; not stepping on her, but touching her, making contact. It was over pretty quick after that.
She wasn't too happy when I dropped her on the ground. They never are.
She took off, but kind of slow. I'm wondering if she was injured in some way.
Not starving, by any means. She went off through a hole in the fence, barely big enough to slip through.
That one was too close though. It took longer than I expected. I must be getting slow as I grow older.
No photos though. I didn't think about that until after.
“Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.”
I don't know how it was that I came to specialize in raccoon extraction, but I'm pretty good at it.
That one was a fighter though. She almost got me.
I had a bit of trouble getting a good handle on her, and she kept snapping at my stick. I got my foot on top of her head; not stepping on her, but touching her, making contact. It was over pretty quick after that.
She wasn't too happy when I dropped her on the ground. They never are.
She took off, but kind of slow. I'm wondering if she was injured in some way.
Not starving, by any means. She went off through a hole in the fence, barely big enough to slip through.
That one was too close though. It took longer than I expected. I must be getting slow as I grow older.
No photos though. I didn't think about that until after.
“Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.”
4 comments:
Your to be congratulated (at any age)if your suitably skilled to remove raccoons from dumpsters since I read they are prone to marked aggression and able to inflict a nasty bite or scratch.
Some are also carriers of diseases such as rabies ?
Best wishes
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you about this, old fellow, but there's an awful lot of people out there that are carriers of nastiness and disease; but I don't avoid all of them on that account. Perhaps I should consider it though. I am rather leery of using the restroom at a truck stop, mind you. It's all about probabilities.
Some raccoons do carry disease, but it's rather uncommon. One of the first things that happens in that case is they become even more reclusive.
They're not normally aggressive, but they do hate being picked up. I don't care so much for being picked up myself. It makes me nervous, but I don't bite on that account.
They do have some rather nasty claws, and some fairly intimidating teeth. They growl and bark like a dog.
You pretty much have one chance to get a good grip on them, and you have to do it right at the scruff of the neck, to where they can't turn their head to bite or reach your arm with their back claws.
This one was particularly aggressive, especially considering that she let me touch her. I held my foot on her head for about four seconds, looking her right in the eyes, before she would let me bend close enough to grab her.
I was wondering if maybe this one was pregnant, but I was thinking that it was too early in the year for that. She might have been injured dropping down into the dumpster. I'm thinking that I should have taken a closer look while I had her in hand.
But really, it was the aggressiveness of this one that shook me up a bit. It was unusual in the extent of it. Those things can run up your leg in a flash and inflict some very nasty wounds in short order.
Odd how I never felt any degree of danger in it until it was all over with.
So this "extraction" is a one hand one arm operation?
You don't use the other hand to hold the raccoon's tail? Just curious.
Actually, I'd never thought of that, probably out of a healthy respect for the hind claws. I don't know if they can reach that far back with them or not, but I'm not willing to chance it.
But yes, strictly one hand one arm. The other arm I hold out and behind me for balance. Those things are a lot heavier than they look like.
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