In October 2024, a woman resident of Poulsbo was compelled to flee her house as a result of an invasion of raccoons. Having fed a small family of these raccoons for over 35 years, she said their numbers rapidly increased in weeks preceding the incident. The raccoons had become larger in population and more aggressive, demanding food time and again around her yard. Surrounding her house, clawing at her windows and doors, even scratching her car.
Fearing for her safety, the woman called 911 for assistance. Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputies arrived but said little could be done to address the problem. The case was referred to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife which referred the woman to local Wildlife control operators.
Soon, wildlife officials intervened and put the woman in contact with local wildlife control operators that could help her safely remove the animals. The costs, though, were exorbitant, as high as $500 per raccoon, which translates to a total amount running into tens of thousands of dollars in this case-an amount seriously beyond her means.
She has since stopped feeding the raccoons, realizing that her well-meaning actions had inadvertently created a dangerous dependency. The WDFW is now working to address this situation with relocation of the animals and return of some sense of normalcy to the neighborhood in mind.
This is a very good example of the kind of trouble that could arise with the feeding of wild animals. It would seem that doing so harms absolutely no one-perhaps even a kind gesture letting a couple of the local critters have something to eat-but it has vastly severe outcomes both for humans and animals alike. Feeding wildlife often upsets their natural behaviors, displaying aggressive tendencies when one becomes dependent on the food provided by humans. In this instance, what happened was that an innocent act of kindness turned into an overwhelming, frightening situation.
As relocated raccoons get placed into new homes, local wildlife officials warn against feeding wild animals, citing it can lead to increased aggression, or disturb ecosystems, and pose serious risks to communities. The residents of Poulsbo learned one thing in this raccoon invasion: the thin line between human-wildlife interaction and how dangerous it could get once that line was crossed.
