Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just saw a raccoon while walking home from work just now, and I also saw one by St. Johns cemetery in Middle Village. Has anyone else notice raccoon's around the city? I never have seen any until recently.
I see them and skunks in various parts of The Bronx, woodsier areas and also small parks near the streets where its easy for them to wander off to in search of some garbage pails
I've seen them in the streets off of Central Park on the West Side at night. They were rooting through the trash cans for food. I guess their little hands were too small to pick up the cans and redeem them for nickels.
The raccoons were taking over Glendale, using backyard swimming pools as their personal watering holes, taunting residents and rummaging through garbage.
The raccoons were taking over Glendale, using backyard swimming pools as their personal watering holes, taunting residents and rummaging through garbage.
Raccoon Breaks Into Bronx Apartment.
Raccoon Breaks Into Bronx Apartment (http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/bronx/raccoon-breaks-into-bronx-apartment-20100909-kc - broken link)
A Rat is not a a Raccoon, nor is a Raccoon a Rodent. As another poster has said, Raccoons and Oppossums have been co-existing with New Yorkers for years.
Regarding the picture in question, from Huffington Post: There's no way it's a common sewer rat," Dr. Robert S. Voss, the Curator of Mammals at The American Museum of Natural History in New York, told HuffPost after reviewing the picture. "I'm 90 percent certain that it's a a Gambian pouched rat." Voss estimated the rat to be about two-and-a-half feet in length.Another huge Gambian pouched rat made headlines last year when it was killed in Brooklyn's Marcy houses. Voss said it's possible this rat was once a pet that could have escaped or been released.
Gambian pouched rats were once imported to the United States for sale as pets, but abc.net.au reports that an outbreak of monkeypox in the early 2000s caused the importation of African rodents to be banned.
Despite its size, Voss said the rat is harmless and docile, so there's no need to be worried if you encounter one. He did, however, recommend walking away and calling animal control immediately.
I remember the 1st racoon incident back in 1988 when I was in HS. I used to be on the school newspaper and my "scoop" was the racoon that shacked up by the school. This is in Queens. We were all bewildered by how a forest creature made it down to NYC. 20+ years later, seeing a racoon is like seeing a stray cat.
A Rat is not a a Raccoon, nor is a Raccoon a Rodent. As another poster has said, Raccoons and Oppossums have been co-existing with New Yorkers for years.
Regarding the picture in question, from Huffington Post: There's no way it's a common sewer rat," Dr. Robert S. Voss, the Curator of Mammals at The American Museum of Natural History in New York, told HuffPost after reviewing the picture. "I'm 90 percent certain that it's a a Gambian pouched rat." Voss estimated the rat to be about two-and-a-half feet in length.Another huge Gambian pouched rat made headlines last year when it was killed in Brooklyn's Marcy houses. Voss said it's possible this rat was once a pet that could have escaped or been released. Gambian pouched rats were once imported to the United States for sale as pets, but abc.net.au reports that an outbreak of monkeypox in the early 2000s caused the importation of African rodents to be banned. Despite its size, Voss said the rat is harmless and docile, so there's no need to be worried if you encounter one. He did, however, recommend walking away and calling animal control immediately.
No, it's not a standard Rattus Norvegicus but it's interesting that a few Gambian pouched rats roam free. And I agree a Raccoon is not a rodent but they can carry the Rabies Virus (Central Park 2009) so petting them is of course out of the question.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
