Feeding wildlife is generally discouraged because it can lead to dangerous dependency and disrupt natural behaviors. This is particularly true when it comes to adopting wild animals as pets unless they are injured and unable to return to the wild. However, despite these warnings, many people continue to feed local wildlife like squirrels, birds, and even raccoons, often without thinking about the potential consequences.
One Washington woman, who has been feeding raccoons in her backyard since the 1980s, recently learned the hard way how this can escalate. For over 35 years, she fed a few raccoons at night, and everything seemed fine. But raccoons, being highly intelligent creatures, are quick to spread the word. One raccoon likely shared the news with others, and before long, the woman came home to find over 100 raccoons gathered outside her home.
What began as a harmless habit turned into an overwhelming situation. The raccoons became aggressive, blocking the woman from entering her house and demanding food. She called the sheriff, who was shocked by the sheer number of raccoons surrounding her property. The woman had been dealing with this daily for over six weeks, and it was clear that she needed help.
The sheriff referred her to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, but the cost of trapping and relocating the raccoons was prohibitive at $500 per animal. As the situation remains unresolved, authorities are working to find a reasonable solution, reminding the public not to feed wild animals. Once a reliable food source is established, wildlife will keep coming back, often in overwhelming numbers.