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August 27, 2009

Raccoons Evidently Digging 4th Avenue

raccoon%201.jpgWe've heard reports of four separate raccoon sightings on or near 4th Avenue over the past week. Three of the sightings were on Carroll Street—one guy says he saw a raccoon scurrying from the stalled construction site on the corner of Carroll out onto the avenue—while the fourth was close to the entrance of J.J. Byrne Park on 3rd Street. The iPhone pic to the right was captured two nights ago by one of the employees of the car service on Carroll and 4th. The driver says the raccoon hissed at him when he was going in for the close-up. GMAP




Posted by Gabby at 10:30 AM | Comments (25)
Categories: 4th Avenue, Wildlife

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Comments

They were here first; before the Kanarsee Indians, before Italians, Jews, Blacks, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and Asshats.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 27, 2009 10:37 AM

I saw one on Clinton and Degraw last week and it was ticked! It hissed at me as well. Little bastard.

Posted by: CG_ups at August 27, 2009 10:38 AM

this is what happens when you turn urban concrete city streetscapes into wannabe rural farms. you reap what you sow.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at August 27, 2009 10:38 AM

The raccoons, like rats, go for garbage--not plants!

Posted by: tinarina at August 27, 2009 10:40 AM

I've had guys hiss at me when I get too close.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 27, 2009 10:42 AM

Sigh. They are cute though. I was kinda surprised at how cuddly he looked. Until I realized that he was hissing at me and remembering nightmare stories about emergency room rabies shots.

Posted by: CG_ups at August 27, 2009 10:43 AM

There's a family of racoons that come onto the roof outside my kitchen window. Scares the living tiddlywinks outta me while watching Forensic Files at 1am. They scratch at the window, but my cat chases them away.

Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at August 27, 2009 10:45 AM

Raccooons are incredibly clean. They prefer to wash any food in water before they eat it.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 27, 2009 10:45 AM

it was awesome in Super Mario Brothers 3 on the NES when you got the racoon suit and could fly!

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at August 27, 2009 10:48 AM

They're nocturnal. If you see them in the daylight they might be rabid.

Posted by: Arkady at August 27, 2009 10:48 AM

Arkady is right.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 27, 2009 10:49 AM

or they could be on meth

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at August 27, 2009 10:53 AM

Raccoons... pretty cute. The über-creepy nocturnal animal is, hands down, the opossum! They're just such odd, creepy creatures and they have this certain glow under sodium light.

Posted by: tybur6 at August 27, 2009 10:53 AM

There have been racoons further south of there for years. I used to see huge nurseries of them all the time by the train tracks next to the 38th St. BQE exit. One got into my backyard once and tore apart my plants, tv/internet cable, etc.

Racoons carry many diseases and they are skilled with their razor sharp claws which are lethal. It's probably best to not get close enough for an iphone pic (ESPECIALLY if it's hissing at you). Definitely keep your pets away from them.

Posted by: Stiggaman at August 27, 2009 10:55 AM

I went to the restaurant at Le Blue recently, and saw a whole family of them on the roof below us. I think it was the roof of the taxi garage. There were about four babies (very cute) and a mama going in and out of a drain pipe.

Posted by: Kris at August 27, 2009 10:57 AM

Sad that they have to live on a rooftop and in a drain pipe and not in the forest somewhere. But I bet there's more food for them in the city.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 27, 2009 11:03 AM

I saw a posse of three juvenile raccoons climbing our neighbors' drainpipe in park slope a couple weeks ago. It was around 6:30am, so this was probably nocturnal behavior for the young ones. It was still pretty amazing to see.

Posted by: allisonk at August 27, 2009 11:14 AM

Aren't they referred to as racoon-americans? also, man I love possums. I saved one from a construction site on madison avenue and 40th street a few years back. I was there late, temping, and taking a smoke break. The construction guys were freaking out cause the thing, though a baby, looked like a giant rat. Finally one of the guys (the one with the balls) put on his glove, grabbed the thing by its tail, and proceeded to pull and tug and yank it off the machinery to which it was clinging with all 400 of its long claws. He put it in a box and handed it to me. My boyfriend and I then walked it to central park, where we released it (but not before being followed by an old bag lady croaking at us "you've got an animal in there! I know you've got an animal in there!"). When we let him out, he seemed so mellow. Like nothing ever happened.

AND YES, we called 911, ACC, SPCA etc. No one wanted to be bothered. I obviously don't recommend pulling stunts like this and we were lucky to get out of it alive, but it had to be done. It was in MIDTOWN for f's sake.

Posted by: iz at August 27, 2009 11:32 AM

I just saw a No Reservations (I think it was that) episode where they were in Arkansas and were eating 'possum and raccoon. The raccooon apparently was quite good but the 'possum, not so much.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 27, 2009 11:50 AM

Last night my husband saw a family of 4 possums walking along on back garden wall in Carroll Gardens. I was thrilled, they eat slugs, snails and mice!

Posted by: cggirl at August 27, 2009 11:52 AM

I'm used to seeing raccoons and possums when I'm out early for a run, but yesterday I saw something that might have been a skunk. It ducked behind a fence before I could get a good look. More likely was a black and white cat, though. Too bad.

Posted by: Sparafucile at August 27, 2009 12:02 PM

About two weeks ago a raccoon was run over on 4th at the corner of Baltic. Its adorable carcass sat in the gutter for a couple of days.

I once saw a skunk walking down a sidewalk in Hoboken at 3 in the morning. Brooklyn needs more skunks. And raccoons.

Posted by: andynewman at August 27, 2009 2:44 PM

July is when I usually see the youngsters showing up.Haven't seen them this year. Maybe the cool summer start slowed them down.

Ditto all above: avoid immediate contact, keep pets away, call animal control if seen in daytime, etc.

Posted by: Xris at August 27, 2009 4:45 PM

Raccoons ate four of my neighbors prized koi from a pond on 3rd street a couple of weeks ago. They will easily open sealed garbage cans and create a mess from which rats can then feast on left overs. Raccoons are not cute!

Posted by: Marie Brown at August 27, 2009 8:16 PM

They ate my prized goldfish, who was about 12 years old. Bastards. Many sightings of a big raccoon on Carroll Street. I think they are living in the corner lot with the big building that is on eternal hold.

Posted by: henrycurtis at September 11, 2009 12:16 PM

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