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.
So true. Someone I know has a friend living in Northern California. He's sort of a hermit type of person and found friendship with the animals on his large parcel of land. He began to feed a family of raccoons. They liked their feeding time. Well, not too long after a lone dog wandered onto the property. The raccoons being very territorial, killed that big dog and ate every inch of him. His remains were found the following day. I had no idea that raccoons would do something like that.
Not buying this story, likely a fabrication. Racoons do not hunt and kill a predator much larger than themselves, they would be very wary of a large dog and would avoid it and leave the area. Racoons are not as aggressive hunters as other similar sized predators, they are omniverous. While they might raid a henhouse and take a chicken or duck, they would be just as likely to visit a cornfield. While they look cute they can be nasty fighters, although not quite as tough as some believe. On the predator ranking scale they rank above a domestic cat, they would kill your pet kitty. They rank below a bobcat and coyote, and are preyed on by these hunters, although a big male may sometimes back one off and send it looking for an easier target.
Not buying this story, likely a fabrication. Racoons do not hunt and kill a predator much larger than themselves, they would be very wary of a large dog and would avoid it and leave the area. Racoons are not as aggressive hunters as other similar sized predators, they are omniverous. While they might raid a henhouse and take a chicken or duck, they would be just as likely to visit a cornfield. While they look cute they can be nasty fighters, although not quite as tough as some believe. On the predator ranking scale they rank above a domestic cat, they would kill your pet kitty. They rank below a bobcat and coyote, and are preyed on by these hunters, although a big male may sometimes back one off and send it looking for an easier target.
In defense of the poster: It might not have been a planed kill of the large dog. I had a neighbor that lost a German Shepard to a woodchuck back in the 1960's. The woodchuck got the dog by the jugular vein and did not let go. The woodchuck did not stalk the dog – just tried to defend itself. With any predator that stalks prey with sharp teeth, claws or dangerous hoofs; there is always a chance of injury or death.
No one raccoon would consume a large dog. A pack of coyotes could consume a large dog or maybe multiple scavengers working thought the night? I don't even think that a bear could eat a large dog in one sitting.
I guess a raccoon can kill a cat but I doubt it would unless provoked. My experience has been when cats and raccoons meet, either they tolerate each other or go their separate ways. I had one cat I used to feed that would literally bop the raccoons on the head to get them away from the food dish. It worked every time.
Not buying this story, likely a fabrication. Racoons do not hunt and kill a predator much larger than themselves, they would be very wary of a large dog and would avoid it and leave the area. Racoons are not as aggressive hunters as other similar sized predators, they are omniverous. While they might raid a henhouse and take a chicken or duck, they would be just as likely to visit a cornfield. While they look cute they can be nasty fighters, although not quite as tough as some believe. On the predator ranking scale they rank above a domestic cat, they would kill your pet kitty. They rank below a bobcat and coyote, and are preyed on by these hunters, although a big male may sometimes back one off and send it looking for an easier target.
No fabrication. There is a large population of raccoons on the property. It wasn't one raccoon that took the dog down, it was several. Raccoons are opportunists and will eat what is available to them, including road kill. And some raccoons are very large. In my town they can weigh in at about 75 pounds. Several raccoons certainly can attack and kill a dog especially when the dog is trying to eat their food. I'm not saying this is the norm, but it has been known to happen. They can be vicious little creatures.
If you don't want to believe it, don't. No biggie to me.
Spend time trapping raccoons and you won't find a coon eating a dog far fetched. They're much more impressive predators than they might appear, and willing to fight anything.
As I stated in post #8: My wife and I watched a standoff between a four point buck and a large male raccoon. The buck was trying to hoof the raccoon and the raccoon did not back down. At anytime the buck could have killed the raccoon with one lucky blow from it's sharp hoofs. The 'fight' went on for several minutes and then they both decided to back down at the same time.
One of the cutest interactions that we observed was that of a young raccoon pup and a skunk. Skunks love to warn others that they are armed and dangerous. They will usually posture long before they actually spray – unless surprised. We watched this one baby raccoon walk over to a good size skunk and sniff it's butt. The skunk did not spray the baby. But; the baby got the idea and ran back to it's mother.
I always thought that as a general rule to be on the safe side is to avoid wild raccoons who come out in daylight as they are rabid or is that a myth.
I don't think it is a myth. Raccoons are nocturnal. They lived in the sewers when we lived in central Denver.
Both there and here in north Florida, I will sometimes see them scuttling away very early in the morning.
If I saw one coming toward me in broad daylight I would definitely think there was something wrong with it.
But whether healthy or sick, I would not underestimate the wrath of a fierce raccoon, especially if there is more than one.
I've seen them messing with our birdfeeder early in the morning. When we lived on the Gulf, they used to climb the stairs to forage around on the deck outside our second floor bedroom. We never left anything out, but maybe the renters before us did. I once woke up in the middle of the night to see my cat batting at the screen door on our side, with a cute young raccoon batting on the other.
I shut the wood door.
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.
