(Newer)
In Toronto, which emerged from a strict month-long closure next week, the pandemic brought residents closer to their local wildlife – and the interactions did not always go well. Public health authorities say there is a 62% increase in the reports of people being scratched or bitten by raccoons, reports the CBC. Calls to Toronto Animal Services over sick or injured raccoon have more than tripled year-on-year to more than 13,000 by 2020. Authorities say raccoons are no longer becoming aggressive, but people who stay home or experience more walks in their neighborhoods get sick animals and to be bitten if they try to go themselves. Some people are also bitten or scratched when petting or feeding wild raccoons, which the authorities strongly discourage.
“It’s really just people who are stupid,” said Derick McChesney, owner of a game management business. Guardian. “I’m pretty much face to face with them every day. One can be aggressive, especially when there are babies in the area. But mostly nothing really changes with them. Instead, people are more at home and you’re stupid too. “McChesney says many people who stay at home all day realize for the first time that raccoons live in their attic or crawl spaces.” They have always had a unique ability to find out where the quiet places in the house are. “They like to nest directly above the master bedroom” because he is usually quiet during the day, he says. (Raccoons are usually nocturnal, but illness can make them act like ‘zombies’ during the day.)