Raccoons Friend or Foe?

[Matt]

Well last night we had to make the desision because they were on our back deck just hanging... 2 of them one literally WAS hanging.
Pictures:
http://kyujjistudios.com/nekohost_1.0/files/3/100_0399.jpg
http://kyujjistudios.com/nekohost_1.0/files/3/100_0396.jpg

We ended up sending them packing after me and my dad had taken our share of pictures. What would you have done? Are you an animal lover that would insist you not bother the raccoons or would you just knock them off without a second thought? Or do as I did and grab the camera THEN knock them off?
edit:The pictures aren't perfect quality, I have others but those showed ore of them and their surroundings

[Max]

Nice pictures ... I would have defiantly waited to see what happened, but - the raccoons could've attacked you on site... you're pretty lucky to be alive :P

[Woolfenstien]

Raccoons are a pest and should be treated like such.

"But Woolfy, they're not doing any harm!"

If they're not doing any harm they aren't pests. But once they start turning out your bins, crapping all over your garden and living in your roof, they become pests.

Like mice and rats, it's best to remove the problem before it starts getting bad.


That being said, I've never seen a Raccoon before. We don't get many in England.
We usually just get mice, rats, fleas, squirrels, or insects. Thankfully, our climate doesn't support the likes of reptiles, roaches, and other exotic beings.

[Matt]

Raccoons are a pest and should be treated like such.

"But Woolfy, they're not doing any harm!"

If they're not doing any harm they aren't pests. But once they start turning out your bins, crapping all over your garden and living in your roof, they become pests.

Like mice and rats, it's best to remove the problem before it starts getting bad.


That being said, I've never seen a Raccoon before. We don't get many in England.
We usually just get mice, rats, fleas, squirrels, or insects. Thankfully, our climate doesn't support the likes of reptiles, roaches, and other EXOTIC beings.
Lol not exotic to me, well roaches they don't live in the house or even near where we live but goto a field or to the country...
Raccoons are annoying when they get in to stuff. We did have a problem wit them before but it got stopped. This is the first time they've gone onto our deck...

[DarkReality]

Raccoons are exotic? I always figured raccoons were the roaches of mammals, capable of living ####ing anywhere.

Although they're pretty rare in Germany as well, if they even exist here. I don't think I've ever seen one, despite having a good share of forests.

You're kidding me, right? #### is censored? It's an effing rooster! And what about ####roaches? Could we revoke this and not treat us like the pubescent children we are (seen statistically, of course)? I mean, ass isn't censored and neither is dick. Come on! Dick is allowed and #### isn't? I mean, I wouldn't call my son rooster, but still.

[Vagrant]

I've seen the occasional raccoon. There's not a very large population here though. You want to remove them as soon as possible, because like Woolfy said, they are a pest.

Locusts/Grasshoppers and lizards are exotic? Lizards are actually quite helpful to keep around. We have a family of lizards in our front yard, and they really help keep the insect population down. Grasshoppers, however, are pests to plants. We don't have larger reptiles around here, and deserts don't support many amphibians.

Around here though, coyotes and crows can be the biggest pests. Crows usually don't cause much damage. They just occasionally knock over a trash can or spread trash. Coyotes, however, eat outdoor pets, and easily scale the walls around here. They are also a threat to small children. Unfortunately, it's difficult to scare them away permanently. You can send one running off by chasing it, but it'll come back later.

I only see ####roaches near damp, dark environments, which isn't too much of a problem in So. Cal. Our cat pretty much kills any rodents he sees, plus spreading cat hairs around a yard is known to actually keep mice and rats away from your house.

[Joest]

They were living in my chimney (I live in a 210 year old house). Me and my dad had this Raccoon trap type thing and we put fish in it. We caught my friend's cat.

Then we put hard boiled eggs in it and we caught one on the first night. We then put them in the back of my car and released it into the woods.

The next year they had babies in the chimney and my dad couldn't get them out until the winter.

I think they are cute. But they are vicious, they killed one of my cats, they tear up the garbage... I think they are a pest, but we haven't had a problem in a while.

We put chicken wire on our 3 chimneys and we bungee cord the trash cans. We haven't had any trouble since.

If they don't bother you, they're fine.

[Freddy]

We have everything.
THe Florida climate (hot and humid) breeds just about every pest ever...ever.

Roaches
Wasps
Fire Ants
Sugar Ants
Lizards (by the ass load)
Squirrels
Racoons (though not quite as common)
Possums
Various types of garden snakes
Grasshopers
And any other type of pest I missed. It's here. Trust me.

[RocketSoldier]

I have a huge possum living in my garage.

[Kevim]

I don't find raccoons to be either friend or foe. The only harm they have ever done to me or any one else I know is knock over garbage. And I really don't mind that. It only takes me 30 or so seconds to pick everything up, and I'd definatly rather do a bit of garbage picking then kill an innocent creature.

And it is true that sometimes they give rabies, but they are fairly gentle animals and not territorial at all. So, normally when a human or cat or dog gets attacked it is their own damned fault.

[AeroZ]

http://i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=24385

[Honeycomb]

I just saw a video of a raccon being skinned alive...

They haven't really affected me or done anything to me, nor have I ever seen one in my neighbourhood so no.

The girl in the video sounds exactly like my friends mom :P

[Freddy]

http://i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=24385

Looks like Sly Cooper is playing theif again.

[DarkLegacyz]

I just saw a video of a raccon being skinned alive...

They haven't really affected me or done anything to me, nor have I ever seen one in my neighbourhood so no.

The girl in the video sounds exactly like my friends mom :P
So have I :( instead it was thousands of racoons. I saw tears in their eyes when one died :'(

[DarkReality]

Did they sing the Imperial March as well?