On 13 Apr 2004 07:37:59 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:

I don't know how well raccoons (or coatis, for that matter) will be
able to take the winters. Like many plants, some mammals which are
adapted to cold aren't very good at taking long, dark, wet winters.
They probably would survive in some areas, but it isn't certain.
I don't know how they handle winters in north America.

The raccoon is native to a very wide swathe of North America and
handles long, dark, wet winters with complete aplomb. They
actually do better in an urban environment than out in the
country.

Main disadvantages of raccoons: they can carry rabies; they will
eat all the cherries off your tree; they will eat all your corn
before it's quite ripe (not that corn is a common crop in the
UK); they can destroy a cat with ease, and even dogs are at risk.

However, I've only once had a cat injured by a coon; they take a
live-and-let-live attitude most of the time.

You'll know if you have them by the droppings they leave at the
base of trees. Evidently, they defecate as they climb up the
trunk.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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