Have you noticed more raccoons in your neck of the woods this summer?
According to experts in both northern and southern Ontario, there is a higher-than-usual number of raccoons roaming around the province this year.
“The last two years the population’s kind of exploded,” Bob Hoffman, owner of Thunder Bay’s Natural Pest Control, told the CBC. “They’re destructive little critters…even the smallest of them are vicious” There’s also currently a warning about raccoon distemper farther south in the Grey-Bruce area.
Like most wildlife, it’s best to refrain from feeding them and petting them. Hoffman also said that trimming tree branches back from houses and cottages can help keep them away, as it prevents them from climbing on roofs.
For a comprehensive list on how to prevent conflicts with raccoons at your cottage, or how to handle one if it occurs, see the Ministry of Natural Resources’ website.