Column: Racoon numbers burgeoning, disease inevitable

Published 6:13 pm Thursday, June 22, 2006

By Staff
Last week, I wrote about the raccoon saga going on at our place. A rogue male was killing babies and a young mother prematurely ran off her little ones. As for the rogue, he's no longer around. Coon hunting season is closed so I can't imagine what happened to him, but he's gone and the local coons are happy for it, in fact, too happy. This place is now crawling with coons. Every night, a pot pourri of mothers, babies and single coons big and small parade through the yard as they ply the creek.
Recently, I've noticed the coon population here in Southwest Michigan has exploded. Besides the plethora of them passing by our place, the roadways are littered with coon pizzas like I've never seen before. The other day I drove over to Coldwater and saw at least two dozen lying along the highway. Some roads around here average a carcass per mile. It's a sure bet Ma Nature will very soon be tending to this situation. A disease outbreak is inevitable.
This is a scary thing for many of the diseases commonly afflicting coons can be transmitted to us and/or our pets. The first that comes to mind is rabies. This has been hugely overblown by movies and folklore, but it is a possibility. Coons don't actually carry rabies, they become infected when bitten by another animal carrying the disease. A coon with rabies becomes disoriented, may lose its fear of people, be out at midday (which may or may not be unusual) and can be aggressive. Most dogs and cats are vaccinated against rabies, but we're not. If bitten by a raccoon suspected of having rabies, kill the coon without damaging the brain (that's where the testing takes place) and head for the emergency room pronto. Early treatment is usually successful, but once the disease sets in it is 100 percent fatal. According to the Center for Disease Control, no humans have died from raccoon rabies in the U.S., mostly due to people seeking prompt attention when bitten.
A much more common coon ailment is distemper. The symptoms in animals are very similar to rabies. They become confused and weak, may be out in the middle of the day and acting wierd, show no fear of humans and be aggressive and sometimes have crusty eyes and nasal discharge. Distemper is always lurking within the coon population and outbreaks are quick to occur when coons become overpopulated. Here in Michigan, localized raccoon die-offs from distemper occur every year. Distemper poses no threat to humans, but dogs and cats can easily get it so be sure they are vaccinated. Note that just being out during midday is not a crime, many coons do. They must also be acting unnaturally.
One of the biggest raccoon threats comes from raccoon roundworm, which is very prevalent here in Michigan and across the nation. Nearly all animals (including humans) and birds are susceptible. Various stages of this worm can make their way throughout the entire body, affecting everything from the brain and eyes to internal organs. It's rare in people, but can be fatal if untreated. It's also hard to diagnose. It's most commonly transmitted by ingesting the worm eggs. Eggs are shed in coon feces. These eggs can stay viable in soil and water for several years and are resistant to most disinfectants and cleaners. Children are at the biggest risk because of their penchant for grubbing around in the dirt then sticking their fingers and everything else they come across into their mouth.
Pets not inoculated for roundworm are also at high risk. Raccoons have adapted and seldom show obvious symptoms. Other animals lose muscle control, lose fear of humans, fall over, roll on the ground and paddle their feet. If you must clean up coon poo use utmost caution. The CDC recommends wearing rubber gloves and boots and a respirator. Burn the feces and anything it was in contact with (use a propane torch for driveways, tools, etc.). Clean clothing, boots, wooden decks and such with boiling water and bleach.
Raccoons should be labeled like cigarettes: Feeding coons and treating them as pets is hazardous to your health. Carpe diem.