# Possibly rabid raccoon in our back yard **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 20, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995 "2014-09-20T02:35:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/1 "2014-09-20T02:35:08Z")
Tonight, I walked outside and got hissed and charged by a raccoon. Of course I ran back inside and slammed the door. I’ve only once been charged by a wild animal before and I’m concerned that said raccoon is rabid. Its possible that it was a mom protecting her kits, but I really don’t want to go out and get charged again. What would you folks do? PS We live in the middle of Houston, so running out with a shotgun would probably not be a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/2 "2014-09-20T02:38:29Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Tonight, I walked outside and got hissed and charged by a raccoon. Of course I ran back inside and slammed the door. I’ve only once been charged by a wild animal before and I’m concerned that said raccoon is rabid. Its possible that it was a mom protecting her kits, but I really don’t want to go out and get charged again. > > What would you folks do? > > PS\*\* We live in the middle of Houston, so running out with a shotgun would probably not be a good idea.\*\* I thought it was a state law. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/3 "2014-09-20T02:49:08Z")
Call the cops. See if they will come take care of it. They will around here. ---
**Author:** ![DingoelGringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DingoelGringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DingoelGringo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/4 "2014-09-20T02:55:15Z")
There should be an animal control officer that 911 can send out. I was once such in Dakota County Minnesota and trapped many a raccoon. Never met a rabid one though. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/5 "2014-09-20T02:59:22Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I thought it was a state law. Owning a shotgun is a state law, shooting down magnolia trees and waking the neighbors is frowned on. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Call the cops. See if they will come take care of it. They will around here. Tried that, totally worthless. Out here, raccoons are considered to be fur critters and I need to get a license to kill one. The advice I was given was to pay for a licensed trapper or to carry a broom. I don’t really want to kill it anyhow. I want to trap it and then take it somewhere else, but if its rabid, that wouldn’t be a kind thing to do…and if it charged me to protect its kits, the kits would die without their mama. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/6 "2014-09-20T03:08:33Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > There should be an animal control officer that 911 can send out. I was once such in Dakota County Minnesota and trapped many a raccoon. Never met a rabid one though. Tried that, calling animal control I mean. I’ve trapped raccoons in the past, I’ve never been charged by one. It really scared me, the little fucker was FAST. The havahart trap is set, I just don’t know what to do if I catch it. (yeah, yeah. I can shoot it through the bars, but what if its just an overprotective mama?) ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/7 "2014-09-20T03:11:10Z")
Raccoon,s don’t usually charge unless they percieve themselves as cornered. A high back yard fence might make her feel that was as it would slow down an allready slow animal. Rabies are nothing to play with, be very careful going to and from the car or yard until you get this resolved. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/8 "2014-09-20T03:15:11Z")
I would think that ‘abnormally aggressive rabid raccoon in the back yard - possibly rabid’ would garner some sort of response from Animal Control; did they not believe you? ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/9 "2014-09-20T03:35:09Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Raccoon,s don’t usually charge unless they percieve themselves as cornered. A high back yard fence might make her feel that was as it would slow down an allready slow animal. Rabies are nothing to play with, be very careful going to and from the car or yard until you get this resolved. This why I’m so concerned. We have a dog who has her rabies shots, but I don’t want to let her out in her own back yard. We just walked down the street so she could do her business, but she is used to her yard and will probably be whining to go out and pee in a couple of hours. (yes, I did clean her poop up but I can’t do anything about the pee.) > [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I would think that ‘abnormally aggressive rabid raccoon in the back yard - possibly rabid’ would garner some sort of response from Animal Control; did they not believe you? The AC guy was very nice and polite. He transferred me to a very nice and polite fish and game person, who told me to call a professional trapper or to buy a hunting license. The feral pig who charged me was a feral pig. Scary, but I was ready for it. Those things need to be nuked from orbit and then nuked again. I didn’t have any problem with shooting it a whole bunch of times. Feral pigs aren’t usually rabid, they just fake it. I’ve never been charged by a hissing raccoon before, and it scared me so bad that I couldn’t piss myself. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/10 "2014-09-20T06:03:23Z")
Your state [DNR](http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/) should have a list of wildlife rehabilitators who should be able to help you. [Here’s the list by county](http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/list/). ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possibly-rabid-raccoon-in-our-back-yard/698995/11 "2014-09-20T16:09:13Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Your state [DNR](http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/) should have a list of wildlife rehabilitators who should be able to help you. > [Here’s the list by county](http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/list/). Thank you. I trapped him last night. Just looking at him, he seemed to be healthy, just really pissed off. My husband took him out of town and let him go by the river. I sure hope we didn’t release a rabid animal, but I don’t think so. I think I just scared him by blundering around in the dark.