Please Help The Raccoon's.

[CleaTheChameleon]

Hello and Good morning,
Today i went out for my daily 6 mile bike ride and i came across something i didnt like at all. A roadkill. And the animal that was dead was a raccoon. They are everywhere in FL and in some other states but the main problem is that drivers just run them over.

Yes i know raccoons can be peasants most of the time, but they are living creatures and its not right to just run them over. Whether accident or not. Imagine a raccoon is going to her babies and has to cross the street to get to them, and gets hit. She has now left all the babies alone and they will all starve to death leaving the raccoon population to keep going down.

All i am asking from the CF people, is that can you please be careful when driving in the dark? Can you please watch out for raccoon's?

Also another things is that they may make their home in your backyard. If it gets to the extreme point, dont kill them yourselves. Call a local animal organization. They will catch them and let them go somewhere else.

I know this is a chameleon website but i just wanted to let people know to just be careful. Mostly in FL.

When i get older, one of the MANY things i wanna do for animals, is to create a " Save The Raccoon's " Foundation.

Thank you all for hearing me out. I appreciate it.

Please stop this from happening.

 

[KClark]

this is wonderful!! i live in newyork on longisland and i see roadkill every other mile! :[ it sucks.. either its a racoon, squirrel, cat, or deer. its so sad but im really happy that you are thinking of making an organization!! ill be sure to donate to it :

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

this is wonderful!! i live in newyork on longisland and i see roadkill every other mile! :[ it sucks.. either its a racoon, squirrel, cat, or deer. its so sad but im really happy that you are thinking of making an organization!! ill be sure to donate to it :

Aw thats sad that all those animals are getting hit by cars.
Raccoon's are the main animal being hit constantly and im scared that one day their population will go EXTREMELY low. Maybe close to nothing.

Im really happy you like my idea and my speech out to people. I appreciate it, as i only got one response

I am 13 now so it will take a couple years for me to start the organization but it will happen

 

[pssh]

It's inevitable. Sometimes the drivers dont see the animal or the animal runs out in front of the car too close to stop in time. Also consider the fact that if a driver were to attempt to swerve out of the way, the likely hood of the driver loosing control of the car and crashing, possibly causing deadly results, is very likely. That being said, I agree that drivers shouldn't just speed up if they are able to stop in time for the animal to pass.

 

[Lizardlover]

In some places now they are incorporating tunnels on the sides of roads so that wildlife is able to walk under instead of having to cross the road.

 

[Syn]

I don't think the people who posted comments on this page would agree with you so much:
http://citynoise.org/article/2864

 

[pssh]

Ooh, if you want the raccoons to stay away from your house buy coyote or wolf urine and spray or sprinkle it around your neighborhood. It keeps them from bothering you, and they won't be killed by a less forgiving neighbor.

Don't buy fox urine, raccoons eat foxes so they don't care about it.

 

[kinyonga]

I've had raccoons going through my yard at nights for years...and so far that's all they do. I also have had possums. They haven't caused any problems either.

I did have to get the humane society to come and get a raccoon down the road from where I live...a guy hit it with his car but it wasn't killed. We managed to get it to move off the road (don't worry...we didn't set ourselves up to get bitten). The humane society came to get it and did it put up a fight when the girl tried to put it in the cage!

We lose a lot of turtles here in the spring. Someone I know has been putting up turtle crossing signs (with the towns' permission) where they are found to habitually cross the road.

I really think the under-the-road-passageways are a great idea for all kinds of animals! I really hate seeing animals killed.

BTW...I was told by someone who knows animals well that simply moving an animal to another location is not a solution...first of all, you are moving that animal into some other animal's territory usually which sets it up to have to defend the territory. Secondly, you may be spreading disease by moving one animal to another area (if the distance its moved is far enough) which may wipe out the ones in that area, but may also wipe out other species.

 

[kearth]

I am sorry but if I have to choose between swerving to miss a raccoon and risking running off the road, hitting another car, etc, I am going to hit the raccoon. I am not slamming on my breaks to risk being from behind to avoid hitting a raccoon.

At night they run out in from of cars and normally there is little to be done to stop from hitting them. Swerving or slamming on the breaks in not a good thing.

I like animals as much as the next person but am not going to endanger myself for the life of a raccoon. I would much rather not hit anything with my car but some times no choices are given.

People eat raccoon as well. Should they stop doing that to?

 

[glOckcOma]

I have a buddy who is a CHP (Ca. Highway Patrol) and he always advises everyone that if an animal crosses the road and you cant avoid it, just to go right through it, instead of causing an accident. He told me he has seen many bad accidents happen due to people swerving to avoid an animal. So I follow his advise, if I see an animal running acroos the street and I can not stop in time I am running it over. Me and my families saftey is more important to me then a racoons.

 

[Hoj]

this spring i was driving home in the dark i saw a large racoon in my headlights so i moved to the other lane when i saw 4 little babies in that lane i managed to miss them all with one even going under my car. so that ones for you ok : )

 

[Texas Panther Man]

As long as the coons stay out of my cham cages they are free to have the run of the place.

 

[KClark]

lol i know a girl who has a pet raccoon.. she rescued it as a baby and it lives in her yard and has its rabies vaccine! although all DVM in NY are supposed to unthanize any raccoon that comes into their facility because of the high rates of rabies ... some people love em, some hate em!

 

[jessica]

It's sad that so many humans can discard animals life so easily. I always do my best to avoid creatures in the road, heck I've even swerved for frogs.

We have a coyote problem, this probably happened because they keep developing apartments and houses on there habitat They were running a catch and kill program but good thing that's on hold for now. But I digress lol

People eat raccoon as well. Should they stop doing that to?

I don't understand how you can compare someone hunting a raccoon for food to some jerk using a animal for target practice with their car.

 

[pssh]

There is a difference between hitting it for the safety of yourself and others, and people voluntarily hitting them when you do not have to. I don't know how the heck someone would get a raccoon to get in the road at the right time to hit it on purpose, but I suppose it could be done. If you gotta hit it, hit it hard. Don't leave it half way gone still feeling the pain.

We have coyotes? How far out do you live? The most I ever see are turkeys that like to sit in the middle of the road to warm up in the morning. Sometimes you have to get out of the car to make them move!

 

[jessica]

There is a difference between hitting it for the safety of yourself and others, and people voluntarily hitting them when you do not have to. I don't know how the heck someone would get a raccoon to get in the road at the right time to hit it on purpose, but I suppose it could be done. If you gotta hit it, hit it hard. Don't leave it half way gone still feeling the pain.

We have coyotes? How far out do you live? The most I ever see are turkeys that like to sit in the middle of the road to warm up in the morning. Sometimes you have to get out of the car to make them move!

They are all over the trail by the American river and out by Garden Highway off of the Sacramento River. Rarely do I see them by my house anymore but there is alot in new Folsom.
Wild turkeys can be mean too lol I've been charged by those suckers!

 

[pssh]

Turkeys can be scary! I know there are A LOT of skunks by the rivers. Never knew about the coyotes though. We have a decent number of rattlesnakes as well. keep your eyes out!

 

[Montium]

I am sorry but if I have to choose between swerving to miss a raccoon and risking running off the road, hitting another car, etc, I am going to hit the raccoon. I am not slamming on my breaks to risk being from behind to avoid hitting a raccoon.

At night they run out in from of cars and normally there is little to be done to stop from hitting them. Swerving or slamming on the breaks in not a good thing.

I like animals as much as the next person but am not going to endanger myself for the life of a raccoon. I would much rather not hit anything with my car but some times no choices are given.

People eat raccoon as well. Should they stop doing that to?

Hunting a raccoon for food is very different than driving off the road to hit one. If somebody hits you from behind they were following too close to begin with. There is a vast sea of morons out there that will kill anything with their vehicles just because they can. My guess is you would slam on your brakes o miss hitting a deer or a cow and the only real difference is size and the fact that you might total your vehicle with the other animals.

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

pssh-i hate to disagree on something you said but that's another story.

jessica-it is sad. and think about all those frogs lives you saved i hope the coyote problem gets better.

kearth-i found the last part of your post very upsetting.

montium-i have to agree with you.

Its just that we can all kinda help avoid some of these roadkill. Maybe NOT EVERY one, but most of them. If you see something running across the street..stop. There are some hooligans that drive faster to just hit it. And that's not right.

Basically some of you dont understand my point so its fine. Moderators please close this thread.

 

[Syn]

For those of you saying accidents are worth saving an animal's life:

http://www.trafficaccidentadvice.co.uk/YourRightsinanAccidentCausedbyAnimals.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/25/2666559.htm
"For many drivers the immediate response is to swerve to avoid the animal.
While that may save the life of the animal, it's not necessarily the best tactic to protect the driver." ABC
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263832/Wild-deer-cause-74-000-accidents-year.html



I agree animals should not be hit if it can be avoided, but sometimes you need to choose the lesser of two evils. Another idea is driving slower...