A woman became trapped when around 100 wild raccoons surrounded her home in Washington, US, and demanded food.
The woman had been feeding the animals in the town of Poulsbo for 35 years but was forced to call her sheriff’s office (a low-level law enforcement office) after the influx.
The shocking footage shows how the raccoons were all waiting outside for the woman — who did not wish to be identified — according to 9 News (and reported in the Guardian).
Raccoons can sometimes be aggressive, which led to her staying inside.
Kevin McCarty, a spokesperson for the Kitsap County sheriff, told the local NBC station that officers were sent to deal with the situation.
“They were shocked,” he said. “They had never seen that many raccoons in one place.
“Nobody ever remembers being surrounded by a swarm of raccoons. This was a first.”
Raccoons are not native to the UK and it is illegal to sell them as pets because they can be highly invasive species.
They can sometimes be seen as pets and can cause a nuisance as they require more space than owners can typically provide — while also requiring an omnivore diet. An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals for their main food.
Raccoons live “throughout the continental United States in woods, wetlands, suburbs, parks, cities, and anywhere there is cover, food, and water,” the US National Wildlife Federation says.
They typically search for food at night and can be neighbourhood nuisances for going through bins — not too unlike how foxes can irritate Londoners.
Wendy Cronk, a neighbour of the unnamed Poulsbo woman, told 9News that the issue has developed over the past year.
“I’ve had several raccoons in the yard recently,” she said.
“My dogs have gotten in a scuffle several times with a raccoon.
“I’ve even had to take one of my dogs to the vet after tussling with a raccoon. And I’ve also noticed there’s been a lot more raccoons up on the main road here.”
