Image from video by Jacqueline Emery.
There was a raccoon baby boom at the height of the pandemic, and for much of 2020 people enjoyed watching the little guys clambering around the wall of Riverside Park around 108th Street. In fact, it became a kind of spectator sport for months.
They’re back again, reader Eve Proper pointed out.
https://twitter.com/EveProper/status/1408204961700327430
And Jacqueline Emery took the video below of a baby raccoon peeking out of a tree trunk in the Ramble in Central Park.
Baby raccoon in the Ramble. #birdcpp pic.twitter.com/0leHQOrMXJ
— JacquelineUWS (@jacquelineUWS) June 25, 2021
I haven’t seen an opossum in two years.
What happened?
I saw a possum a couple months ago near the ice rink.
I live nearby and never ceased to be amazed at the people who stand on the wall near their ledge to get as close as possible to get photographs and throw them food. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the big raccoons climb out of the nearby trash cans to verbally threaten people exiting the park after the NY Classical Theater performances around the pond. Cute!
Raccoons are known to get rabies. The Parks Department was trapping, vaccinating, releasing the animals, but I don’t know if that program is still on-going and if any attempt has been made with the Riverside Park families.
In any event, people should not be getting near the raccoons.
They feed the raccoons? That shouldn’t be.
They need to know how to forage for themselves. What will happen in the winter when no humans are around?
Why don’t people think of these things?
If you are walking your dog, be careful.
The raccoon is a very personable animal. It looks you right in the eye and holds your gaze.
There is a family of four right at the entrance of 86th street and cpw
Do raccoons eat rats? I hope they eat rats.
In which case, people shouldn’t feed them!
raccoons are just rats with a fashion sense. they shouldn’t be fed. and the city should be doing what it can to eradicate them. they’re dangerous to dogs, small children and everyone. and as noted right here last year, one climbed a building scaffold and entered an upper floor apartment on west end avenue. sorry, these creatures do not belong in a city.
Raccoons are incredibly smart, convivial, and can become very tame, and are never aggressive unless they or their babies are bring threatened.It’s extremely EXTREMELY rare that they get rabies. That is an urban legend. Go online and look at videos of these amazing
Creatures and learn something about them. They have as much of a right to be in Riverside Park as we do!
I would rather be friends with some raccoons than some people. Just sayin’ –
The raccoons were here first!
One night my dog was insisting on inspecting a tree at the corner of 81st Street & Columbus Avenue next to the corner entrance to Roosevelt Park. A family of racoons were on the tree about 5′ off the ground. Very startling to see all of those eyes peeking at me at close range!
I’ve been enjoying the raccoons in Riverside throughout the pandemic – watching babies grow, and now watching a second generation. Hopefully they’ll thrive through the mange epidemic. I wish people would quit feeding them sweets though. And bread. And soda. Even M&Ms have been left on the wall for them at 108th Street. Stop it!
raccoons are adorable. raccoons carry rabies.
they’re also attracted to garbage. so watch
from a safe distance. they’re not household
pets.