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    PIZZA RAT’S GOT NUTHIN’ ON CENTRAL PARK’S PIZZA RACCOON

    October 22, 2015 | 1:11 PM - Updated on August 31, 2025 | 8:54 PM
    in ABSURDITY
    17

    Pizza Raccoon was spotted this week by Anya Schiffrin at the Conservancy Garden in Central Park. The enterprising mammal fished a slice out of the trash and devoured it while hanging out on a branch. Like Croissant Squirrel, Pizza Raccoon understands the art of fine urban dining.

    pizza raccoon

    pizza raccoon2

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    Please limit comments to 150 words and keep them civil and relevant to the article at hand. Comments are closed after six days. Our primary goal is to create a safe and respectful space where a broad spectrum of voices can be heard. We welcome diverse viewpoints and encourage readers to engage critically with one another’s ideas, but never at the expense of civility. Disagreement is expected—even encouraged—but it must be expressed with care and consideration. Comments that take cheap shots, escalate conflict, or veer into ideological warfare detract from the constructive spirit we aim to cultivate. A detailed statement on comments and WSR policy can be read here.

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    17 Comments
    Jeff Berger
    Jeff Berger
    10 years ago

    I have always wondered, since pizza does not exist in nature, what do the rats, raccoons etc, think they are eating?

    0
    Reply
    S. Louie
    S. Louie
    10 years ago
    Reply to  Jeff Berger

    Italian food is natural. Flour, cheese and tomatoes.

    Processed on some levels…but very very very tasty!!

    0
    Reply
    Steven
    Steven
    10 years ago
    Reply to  Jeff Berger

    And more importantly, where do they stand on the crucial question of who has the best pizza on the UWS?

    0
    Reply
    ELJ
    ELJ
    10 years ago
    Reply to  Jeff Berger

    The same could be said for humans. Just go to your local grocery and look at the list of ingredients on most of the food packages and you’ll find plenty of items that don’t exist in nature.

    0
    Reply
    Mum
    Mum
    10 years ago

    Great photograph!

    0
    Reply
    m.pipik
    m.pipik
    10 years ago

    First, Conservatory Garden is on the East Side but I love the photo anyway. The raccoons there have no fear of humans and love eating food left in the trashcans.

    Actually all the CP raccoons trashcan dive for food. Like the rats they are scavengers and omnivores and like their human neighbors they would rather do take out than prepare meals.

    0
    Reply
    Old Judge
    Old Judge
    10 years ago
    Reply to  m.pipik

    It’s west of Fifth Ave. which technically makes it in the west side. (As is the Metropolitan!)

    0
    Reply
    Nancy Wight
    Nancy Wight
    10 years ago

    I don’t care for pizza myself, but I adore raccoons. Thanks for the great photo.

    Nancy

    0
    Reply
    John
    John
    10 years ago

    And like a real New Yorker… no knife and fork!

    0
    Reply
    S. Louie
    S. Louie
    10 years ago
    Reply to  John

    Tony RaccoonaManero!!! One slice only though!

    0
    Reply
    Sam
    Sam
    10 years ago

    Are Racoons out and about during the day regularly?

    0
    Reply
    jsf
    jsf
    10 years ago

    As long as the spices did not wreak havoc on the raccoon, that’s fine. But I wonder where he got the snack – and I wonder if the rats enjoy the same fare regularly?

    0
    Reply
    Rat A. Tooey
    Rat A. Tooey
    10 years ago
    Reply to  jsf

    Youse wrote: “and I wonder if the rats enjoy the same fare regularly?”

    Well, not so regular. And most a youse un-furred tail-less bipeds don’t t’row away whole slices, just the crusts, which don’t taste so pizza-ish.

    But we DO like dem t’rown away chikken wings.

    And sometimes your smaller ones (youse calls dem ‘children’ or sumpin?) drops dat cold stuff youse calls icecreem? Dat stuff is good!

    0
    Reply
    Peter
    Peter
    10 years ago

    A raccoon out during the day could be a sign of rabies.

    0
    Reply
    Jack Donaghy
    Jack Donaghy
    10 years ago

    sweet! meanwhile i’ve seen tourists PETTING raccoons at the pond at the south end of the park!!! like the squirrels and ducks before them, raccoons are becoming acclimated to human presence for better or worse.

    0
    Reply
    Liz
    Liz
    10 years ago

    WOW!! Talk about evolution and adapting to your environment.

    This guy’s a real city creature. Just curious, where, what shop, did the pizza come from anyway?

    0
    Reply
    JC
    JC
    10 years ago
    Reply to  Liz

    “Raycoons Original Pizza”

    0
    Reply

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