Saw a raccoon walking up the side of the road today at 4pm in broad daylight.  It was stumbling like it was drunk.  At first I thought it had been hit by a car, then I realized raccoon aren’t usually very active during the day.  So do you think it was rabid?  

I called animal control (they were closed) so I called the Sheriff’s office and they sent someone over to check it out.

There were kids practicing football in the field across the street, so I was worried for them too.  The little thing wasn’t moving very well, so I hope if he is sick he’s in an advanced stage and isn’t as likely/capable to attack a person.  But where there is one................

zombie coons...

It could be rabid, but what i think is more likely is that it ate a bunch of fermenting fruit and is drunk.  I have seen that before and they do stumble and look odd.

Or it could be rabies.

I was driving the back roads to my sisters place the other day and came across a coon doing the same thing. Looked stoned and kinda' crazy. It was blocking the one lane road and would not move. Stood his ground and started to advance on my pickup in a stumbling sort of way. In broad daylight. It wasn't intimidated at all. I've never seen a raccoon acting like that ever.

I've seen this before too. IIRC it's some kind of disease (other than rabies)...  something to do with the brain. I saw one once that had this,  I was standing in front of it while it stumbled in a continuous circle without any realization that I was there.

Mad Coon Disease!

It is a full moon during the day so it wouldn't be uncommon to see them during the day but if it was acting drunk etc. then I would take him out.



For the children of course!

BigDozer66

They make good eatin.  

Distemper, more likely.
Still fatal and dangerous.

Quoted: It could be rabid, but what i think is more likely is that it ate a bunch of fermenting fruit and is drunk.  I have seen that before and they do stumble and look odd. Or it could be rabies.

FERMENTING FRUIT

Only in Ca.

Quoted: I was driving the back roads to my sisters place the other day and came across a coon doing the same thing. Looked stoned and kinda' crazy. It was blocking the one lane road and would not move. Stood his ground and started to advance on my pickup in a stumbling sort of way. In broad daylight. It wasn't intimidated at all. I've never seen a raccoon acting like that ever.

 

hee hee.

well, I don't think it was drunk.  No fruit trees nearby (that I know of).  I'm hoping it broadsided a car - not enough to kill it, but just enough to knock it stupid.  If it is sick, I hope they find it and figure out what it has so that we can keep our eyes out for pets/kids.

Zombie raccoon. Raccoon hell is full.

Read This

Quoted: Read This

When I was about 12 I saw the same thing at a scout camp.  We called the ranger, who responded with a rifle.  *BLAM* "Best thing for it, poor little bugger".  Gave me a whole new outlook on nature conservancy

Might have got some coffee. I was up almost all day once. Night time critters get disturbed from their beds sometimes and wander during the day. This does sound like a sick critter though.

I shoot anywhere from 12 to 24 'coons a year after calls from citizens such as what you reported. A few years ago it was worse, when disease ran rampant through the 'coon population. You have to look at the overall actions of the animal, its demeanor as you try to approach it, and the appearance of the animal. The sick ones look pretty mangy ( no self care), don't retreat or even acknowledge that you are there, and their ambulatory functions are greatly impaired when they do try to walk away. Around here, we don't save the body unless its bitten someone...if you or someone is bitten, the animal needs to be destroyed in whatever way best preserves the brain for examination for rabies.BTW, there is now a preventative vaccine for rabies thats much less painful than the post-bite shots you get; I get it every 7 years due to the volume of contact I have with  these animals....if no one has been bitten, double bag the carcass and toss it in the dumpster for disposal. We used to tell people to bury them, but no one was digging the holes deep enough, and wild animals would dig up the carcass.....

This is the price we pay for low fur prices

when coon were selling for 15.00 each -- people were picking up roadkill.

They have increased in numbers to the point where disease is affecting the population.

Which way did he go ?! Which way did he go?! Pant... pant...pant....

Well, considering he was walking right next to the road and wasn't running away like a normal animal would (or even making any effort to duck when a car came by) I'm pretty sure somethin' wasn't right with this 'coon.  Speed limit is 45 on this street, cars often speed, and it's pretty busy.  

Do you think the sheriff's office would call me if they found the animal?  They did take all my info.  I'd really like to know because it was only about 2m from my house, I have kids and it's just generally good information to have if distemper or rabies is in your area, kwim?  

If I don't hear anything in the next few days, I'll give them a call.  I don't want to be a pest about it, I know they're busy folk...but I would like to know either way.

Anyway - if I get online one night and I seem to be foaming at the mouth, you'll know what happened...

We have a lot of 'coons here and least once a year we have one with rabies. I have decreased the population in my area considerably.