Raccoons are very aggressive wild animals. They are commonly seen in urban, suburban and rural areas however, this does not mean they are friendly and safe to human. As a matter of fact, if you get too close to raccoons, they can be quite dangerous, thus, it would be better to contact the local wildlife department, in the event they get inside your house. Raccoons may enter your house through the attic, chimney, crawlspaces, and underneath the porch and the houses.
To close off these areas of entry, you need to cover them with a board, a mesh hardware cloth or a metal flashing. Make sure that the entire area is secured and covered on top, bottom and sides to prevent raccoons to harbor and nest inside your home because they may pose threat to your family and pets. How dangerous are they?
These wild animals can bite and claw humans which may cause rabies and infections. Raccoons with rabies may pass it to humans, occasionally through the saliva of the animal if it gets into a break in the skin or fresh scratch or comes in contact with human’s mucous membranes like nose, mouth or eyes. Fortunately, the possibilities of humans getting rabies are not frequent in the United States.
On the other hand, small children are at risk when it comes to infection caused by raccoons due to the parasites found in their stool. Most often, raccoons leave their stool in raised areas where firewood or fallen timber are stored or placed, near patio decks, gardens, garage and attics. Since these animals do not bury their stool, people have to learn how to recognize them and prevent their children to gain access in these areas or even near them. Small children put almost anything into their mouths, thus, adults have to be wary if children get hold of non-food objects when they are outside the house.
Indeed, it would be better not to feed, attract of handle raccoons like pets, at the same time, teach your children not to come close to wild or domestic animals even if they appear harmless. To prevent rabies, do not approach or touch a wild raccoon. If you need to handle them or bury them when they are dead, you need to wear gloves. Likewise, to avoid infections, gardeners have to wear gloves while working with soil. It is also equally important to advice your family to wash their hands thoroughly after working or playing in areas where raccoons may harbor or nest