Here in Fairfax we would call the County. You can also buy Hav-a-hart traps and do it yourself but I've never done raccoons. I've caught feral cats, one time a mama and her six babies that lived in a culvert by a track I used to run on. I used three Hav-a-hart traps which I rented from the county, covered them with blankets, and put open cans of sardines inside. Finding people to take them was harder, but trapping them wasn't easy.
Raccoons, though adorable, are terribly destructive in their search for food. Their hands are prehensile, and they can open things and tear things up like you wouldn't believe. Garbage cans are a big target. And they can carry rabies, and give it to domestic animals. If I lived out in the country and had 'coons, I'd just make sure my garbage cans were secured and my pets had shots. But in a suburb, your neighbors are going to have them killed, or they will get hit by cars. So trapping them and taking them elsewhere may be humane. |
