While they might seem cute and mischievous to many people, raccoons are still wild animals and can pose a danger to humans, making professional pest control measures needed.
In recent months there's been a marked increase in the number of cases of rabid raccoons in Canada. And as raccoons continue to become urbanized and cross paths with people more frequently, the need for pest control management has become vital.
On the rise
In April of 2017, the CBC.ca reported that Ontario had seen an increase in the number of raccoons with rabies after not having a single case for the previous 10 years.
Public Health Services' Manager of Health Protection Jessica Morris said many infected animals are crossing the Canada-U.S. border. The Toronto Sun reported that raccoons with rabies have been reported along the Maine border.
Rabies can be passed from raccoons to humans through a bite, scratch or saliva. Symptoms can take a week to a year to appear and include immobility and loss of consciousness. The infection can also lead to death.
An animal infected with rabies can pass the disease on to pets and other animals that have contact with humans. In August, CTV.ca reported a cat in Hamilton tested positive for a raccoon strain of the disease. And in the same month, CBC.ca reported that a dog was discovered carrying a dead bat with a strain of raccoon rabies in its mouth.
Moving to urban area
Raccoons are thriving in urban areas, which means they pose a threat to humans and pets. The Canadian Wildlife Federation reports that there may be as many as 100 raccoons per square kilometer in the city.
As urban and suburban areas expand, raccoons are abandoning their usual living spaces of hollow trees, underground burrows and brush piles and moving into attics, walls, fireplaces and garages.
Due to wildlife regulations in some areas, these animals can't be killed and mother raccoons - who climb into attics to give birth and raise their young - cannot be trapped and separated from their babies. In many areas, raccoons cannot be transported more than one kilometer from where they were found.
Homeowners can reduce raccoon infestation by sealing spaces in roofs, putting tight-fitting, locking lids on garbage cans and clearing lumber and garbage.
The Toronto Wildlife Center states that the best solution for pest removal of a raccoon that is already in your home is to contact a commercial pest control service (like Abell Pest Control). They can perform pest removal service on the animal legally and humanely. In addition, they can provide you with other solutions you can take yourself to help prevent raccoons other wildlife from posing a similar health threat in the future.
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