Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are successful urban wildlife, adapting easily to environments populated by humans. While they are often perceived as mischievous or aggressive due to their scavenging habits, their natural temperament is generally timid, driven by an instinct to avoid confrontation. Raccoons enter human areas primarily in search of food and shelter, not to engage in conflict. Aggression is a deviation from their standard behavior, typically occurring only when they feel threatened, are protecting resources, or are suffering from illness.
The Raccoon’s True Nature
Raccoons are naturally solitary, nocturnal foragers whose behavior is strongly governed by fear and hunger. They possess intelligence and dexterity, using it to exploit food sources like unsecured trash containers and pet food left outdoors. This focus on opportunistic scavenging means they generally prefer to flee or freeze when encountering humans or larger animals.
A healthy raccoon’s instinct is self-preservation, which dictates avoiding anything that poses a threat, including people. When a human presence is detected, a raccoon will usually retreat silently or remain motionless in a hidden spot until the perceived threat passes. Their defensive displays, which may involve hissing, growling, or baring teeth, are usually an attempt to intimidate a threat. These displays signal a readiness to defend themselves, but they are a last resort before a physical attack.
Situations That Trigger Hostility
The most common trigger for defensive hostility involves the defense of young, as mother raccoons are fiercely protective of their kits. If a person or pet gets too close to a den site, the mother will react aggressively—often with growling, shrieking, and lunging—to drive the threat away.
Defensive behavior also manifests when the animal feels trapped. If a raccoon is cornered in a garage, under a deck, or inside a chimney, its natural instinct to flee is overridden by the need to fight for survival. This trapped state leads to an intense burst of aggression that can appear unprovoked.
Raccoons also engage in resource guarding, defending a valuable food source. If a raccoon is actively feeding, especially on a high-value item, it may react defensively toward a human or pet that approaches too closely. This reaction is a display of dominance, attempting to maintain access to the resource.
Disease and Abnormal Behavior
The most concerning reason for unprovoked aggression or unusual fearlessness is the presence of disease, particularly rabies and canine distemper. Rabies is a viral infection that attacks the central nervous system, leading to behavioral changes. Signs of a rabid raccoon include disorientation, difficulty walking, unnatural tameness, or the classic symptom of unprovoked, sustained aggression, sometimes accompanied by excessive salivation or foaming at the mouth.
Canine distemper is a highly prevalent viral illness in raccoons that causes neurological symptoms often mistaken for rabies. A raccoon with distemper may appear confused, lethargic, or disoriented, frequently stumbling or walking in circles. Respiratory symptoms, such as a runny nose and eye discharge, are common with distemper; the animal may also seem unusually unafraid of humans, appearing blind or deaf.
Observing a raccoon during daylight hours does not automatically mean it is rabid, as hunger or disturbance can cause them to forage outside their typical nocturnal schedule. Any raccoon seen acting erratically, exhibiting neurological symptoms, or approaching humans without fear should be treated with caution. Such abnormal behavior warrants immediate reporting to local animal control authorities, as both diseases are fatal and pose risks to pets and humans.
Safe Encounters and Deterrence
The best strategy during a raccoon encounter is to maintain distance and ensure the animal has a clear escape path. If a raccoon approaches or acts defensively, make loud noises (shouting or clapping) to startle it into retreating. Slowly back away without turning your back or making sudden movements that could be interpreted as a threat. Never attempt to feed, touch, or corner a raccoon, regardless of how docile it may appear.
Preventative measures are the most effective way to deter raccoons from setting up residence and avoid negative encounters. Reducing the property’s attractiveness to these opportunistic scavengers involves several steps:
- Securing all outdoor garbage cans with heavy-duty locks or straps to prevent access to food.
- Removing all outdoor pet food.
- Sealing potential den entry points, such as uncapped chimneys and attic openings.
- Clearing fallen fruit from yards.