Another Wave of Ferocious Animals.... Raccoons Gone Wild (Fort Myers, Vero Beach: condo, home)

[stahltkd]

First there were aligators, and then the lizards, and then dogs,
Then came Bedbugs and now...






The second Apocalypse is coming...
Racoons Gone Wild!

Racoons gone Wild (http://www.fox4now.com/Global/story.asp?S=13614556 - broken link)

[allenk893]

What I don't understand is why you are rolling your eyes at something like this. This a very scary story. I don't know what I would have done had it been me. This is one of the reasons I moved from the Fort Myers area. Too many wild animals on steroids. I think I read on the news once this lady got attacked by bats or something similar. Then there was this other story on someone getting attacked by coyotes. And then you wild cougars on the loose. Where else in FL do wild cougars roam free?! And then you have snakes and frogs and other hideous creatures. Ugh, it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about those wildebeest. They need to ship all those animals back to the motherland where they came from.

[stahltkd]

Originally Posted by allenk893

What I don't understand is why you are rolling your eyes at something like this. This a very scary story. I don't know what I would have done had it been me. This is one of the reasons I moved from the Fort Myers area. Too many wild animals on steroids. I think I read on the news once this lady got attacked by bats or something similar. Then there was this other story on someone getting attacked by coyotes. And then you wild cougars on the loose. Where else in FL do wild cougars roam free?! And then you have snakes and frogs and other hideous creatures. Ugh, it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about those wildebeest. They need to ship all those animals back to the motherland where they came from.

and this is exactly why I rolled my eyes.

[Izmack]

Originally Posted by stahltkd

The second Apocalypse is coming...
Racoons Gone Wild!

Racoons gone Wild (http://www.fox4now.com/Global/story.asp?S=13614556 - broken link)

Bwahhahahah!

[justNancy]

"Get a gun" seems to be the answer for everything in Florida.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by justNancy

"Get a gun" seems to be the answer for everything in Florida.

Isn't that the truth. From everything from wild animals, to annoying neighbors, to someone looking at you funny(real or imagined) in traffic.

FL is an overbuilt swamp, people tend to forget that.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by allenk893

What I don't understand is why you are rolling your eyes at something like this. This a very scary story. I don't know what I would have done had it been me. This is one of the reasons I moved from the Fort Myers area. Too many wild animals on steroids. I think I read on the news once this lady got attacked by bats or something similar. Then there was this other story on someone getting attacked by coyotes. And then you wild cougars on the loose. Where else in FL do wild cougars roam free?! And then you have snakes and frogs and other hideous creatures. Ugh, it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about those wildebeest. They need to ship all those animals back to the motherland where they came from.

Although I agree with you that this is not a funny story, where are there a lot of wild animals in Fort Myers except behind the wheel of a pickup or in front of Walmart on Black Friday?

Being attacked by wildlife is very rare. There's much more chance of being run over by a shopping cart in the supermarket or someone running a red light at an intersection.

Ugh, it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about those wildebeest.

Where in Florida did you see a wildebeest?

[Izmack]

First, raccoons are mean, no matter in which state they abide.

Second, it's Florida. Indigenous animals don't get "shipped back" to where they came from, as that Motherland would be here.

Originally Posted by allenk893

What I don't understand is why you are rolling your eyes at something like this. This a very scary story. I don't know what I would have done had it been me. This is one of the reasons I moved from the Fort Myers area. Too many wild animals on steroids. I think I read on the news once this lady got attacked by bats or something similar. Then there was this other story on someone getting attacked by coyotes. And then you wild cougars on the loose. Where else in FL do wild cougars roam free?! And then you have snakes and frogs and other hideous creatures. Ugh, it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about those wildebeest. They need to ship all those animals back to the motherland where they came from.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Izmack

First, raccoons are mean, no matter in which state they abide.

I don't agree, although they can be aggressive. Most of them are very shy and run away from humans. I've used a hose (it doesn't hurt them) and they back off very quickly. However, raccoons will attack when provoked or to product their young. Maybe these animals had rabies.

I just thought of something. In 2009 I spent 6 months in Vero Beach. I noticed a small raccoon in the dumpster and became concerned, so I called Animal Control. An officer who was already on his way home (it was about 5 or 6) stopped by the condo development and removed the raccoon with a special catch pole. The creature wasn't too happy, but he quickly ran away. I was so impressed!

So I guess each county is different. It's not just the county but the city. When I lived on Sanibel Island, the local cops were very friendly and responded quickly to problems. In Bonita, I called the Lee County Sheriff when some men were drunk and carrying on in my yard and the dispatcher laughed and asked if they were bothering me. She told me to just stay inside and they'd eventually go away.

Originally Posted by Izmack

Second, it's Florida. Indigenous animals don't get "shipped back" to where they came from, as that Motherland would be here.

I keep thinking the entire post was written tongue-in-cheek.

[Izmack]

Originally Posted by justNancy

I don't agree, although they can be aggressive. Most of them are very shy and run away from humans. I've used a hose (it doesn't hurt them) and they back off very quickly. However, raccoons will attack when provoked or to product their young. Maybe these animals had rabies.

Raccoons are bad news, Nancy. If they get indoors, they can do more damage to a home then you could ever imagine...

From Species Profiles (http://www.wildspirit.org/species.htm - broken link) :

Raccoons prefer to live in trees near a water source such as a pond or stream. Hollow trees provide den spaces where raccoons birth and raise their litter. Young raccoons, called kits, are generally born in the spring and stay with the mother through the first winter then leave to assume the solitary lifestyle coons prefer. Although raccoons are mostly active at night they are not totally nocturnal. Raccoons do come out during daylight hours. They do not hibernate through the winter. Coons in the warmer regions are active year round while the northern population will sleep in their dens surviving on body fat and emerging every so often to forage for food on more temperate days. Although the raccoon presents with a cute and cuddly appearance, they are very tough fighters and have a temperament to match. They are a very durable animal and despite heavy hunting for centuries their numbers remain very strong. The raccoon has only a few natural predators that include cougars, large raptors, bobcats, domestic dogs, and motor vehicles.
Raccoons are very courageous and often too curious, which brings many encounters with humans that may lead to dangerous confrontations for both. Unfortunately coons are common carriers (vector species) of the rabies virus and all to often people will react quickly to dispose of the animal before assessing the situation because of this.