14-04-2004, 08:35 AM
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Raccoons in my yard?
In article , lid (Rodger Whitlock) writes:
| On 13 Apr 2004 07:37:59 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:
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| 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.
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| 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.
Are they widespread in the coastal strip stretching from Vancouver
to Anchorage, because that is the only patch that HAS anything like
long, dark, WET winters? The point is that many hibernation and
semi-hibernation techniques don't work in the UK, because of the
unreliable cold in the winter.
They probably could naturalise here, but it isn't certain. Some
cold-winter animals have trouble.
| 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.
Not all that different from a fox, in most of those respects.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
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