Upstate New York Family Faces Unwelcome Raccoon Invasion at Their Home

An Upstate New York family was invaded by raccoons over the weekend. The masked bandits were not only attacking their pumpkins, but clearly wanted more.

Colin and Danielle of Whitesboro were enjoying their weekend evening with their kids when they were met with unwanted and unexpected visitors. When they went to their front door to see what was the matter, they saw the gang of multiple mammals. While they looked cute on the surface, it appeared they had ulterior motives.

The Raccoon pack began as one, but the family of them began gathering on the front stoop and were relentless in their efforts to gain entry into the home, not before making quick work of the freshly carved jack-o-lanterns first!

At a glance these furry little creatures seem cute, friendly and fun but there is a reasons their eyes look like the mask of a bandit. If they had managed to get through the pumpkins and through that front glass it would have been home invasion time. Look at them just staring down the owners, hoping they were granted full access.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation warns about the risks of unknowingly attracting these nuisance animals. The DEC says,

Raccoons can become a nuisance if people unknowingly supply food or shelter for them. They can be attracted by food available in gardens, fish ponds, pet feeders, or garbage or by cavities that might offer shelter.

In order to prevent their unwelcome advances, the DEC recommends you take the following steps.

• Do not leave pet food outside. Feed pets only as much as they will eat at once, and remove all leftovers. If necessary, place pet feeders in an enclosed area such as a porch, garage, or barn.

• Keep garbage bags in an entry-way or garage, and in a metal can. Run a rubber strap, rope, or soft wire through the lid and attach to the can handles. To make it hard for raccoons to remove lids, hang the can one foot above the ground or use a rack and secure the cans upright.

• Surround gardens with an electric fence made up of two wires attached to an insulated post: one wire four inches and the other eight inches above the ground. Install the fence before vegetables ripen.

• Block the openings raccoons are using to get into your attic, porch, or other location. Place a temporary cover when the raccoons leave on their nightly search for food, and make a permanent seal later. To check if the raccoons have really left, sprinkle twigs, grass, or flour in the opening and watch for tracks. Caution: do not permanently seal entrances without first verifying that all animals are out of the den. Especially in the spring, look and listen for animal noises.

It is pretty common knowledge to certainly not willingly feed wildlife. Word travels fast and you will have a large scale invasion on your hands like one Washington State woman. She called 911 after over 100 raccoons showed up on her doorstep after years of feeding them.