A woman in Washington state got more visitors than she bargained for when hundreds of raccoons took over her lawn.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital that a woman in Poulsbo, Washington, called their office last week to report the critter invasion.
Officials said she told them she had been feeding the raccoons living around her home for the last 38 years, but up until six weeks ago, she stated that only a dozen or so would come to be fed.
“For some reason, 6 weeks ago the number of raccoons that were showing up increased to over 100. The woman said they must have started inviting friends,” Kevin McCarty, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Public information officer said.
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McCarty said the woman did not report any damage on her property, but said the raccoons scratch around her house and bug her all hours of the night until she throws food out to them.
“Anytime she comes out of her house, they swarm her until she throws them food. The normal raccoons that she feeds are nice, but the new ones showing up scare her,” McCarty said.
McCarty urged people not to feed wildlife, no matter how cute they are or how much they beg.
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“Raccoons are wild animals and feeding them can be unhealthy for them. Wildlife experts say having a large number of raccoons gathered together can also spread disease among the animals,” McCarty said.
He added that raccoons can be aggressive, so it’s wise to give them space, and let them find food and shelter on their own, in the wild.
The woman was referred to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to help find a solution to her problem.
A spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife told Fox News Digital that Kitsap 911 sent the report to their WILDCOMM Communications Center.
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The WILDCOMM team referred the resident to wildlife control operators in her area, and she said she was working with a trapper, the department said. However, their wildlife conflict specialists and enforcement officers were not dispatched.
The department also echoed McCarty and said their wildlife conflict specialist for Kitsap County is attempting to reach out to the resident in case he can offer any expert guidance, but did not have an update on the situation.
“We discourage people from feeding wildlife, as this causes them to lose their natural fear of people, which can lead to aggression. It also draws animals together, possibly mixing healthy and sick animals and spreading diseases among them,” Bridget Mire, Coastal Region Communications Specialist said.
Mire added that some wildlife, like raccoons, can carry diseases that may be transmissible to people and pets and said that feeding wildlife also may attract predators, such as coyotes and bears.
