“Seeing a raccoon in the daytime can be rather concerning” is a hell of an opening line, but that’s the message the Saugerties Police Department (SPD) wanted to share last week after receiving numerous calls from community members who’d seen the oft-scavenging mammal out and about while the sun was still up.
Whether it’s read as myth or misinformation, raccoons are not nocturnal. Well, not entirely. Nocturnal animals range from the aardvark to the wombat, and while raccoons do often move through the night, that’s largely related to their relationship with humans: Most of the time, they’re as interested in seeing us as we are in seeing them. Raccoons are most naturally crepuscular, most active during dawn and dusk.
And sometimes, like lately, they’re diurnal, moving through the day, likely in search of food. But there are other reasons too, and whatever’s got raccoons working regular business hours, the SPD wants you to steer clear.
In a March 23 “Increasing Raccoon Contact” news bulletin, the SPD said they’d received several calls over that week about raccoons being spotted in the daytime, in public places, “and even wandering in circles.”
“The fear from callers is that the raccoon is rabid,” read the bulletin. “That could be true, so never approach or attempt to touch the raccoon.”
Raccoons are also sometimes stricken with canine distemper, which mimics symptoms of rabies. But there are other reasons they might be out in the daytime said Saugerties Police Chief Kenneth Swart.
“That animal could be sick, but it’s also springtime,” he said. “They don’t necessarily hibernate (in winter), but they are in those states you know they slow down. And then they have their offspring so you may have a mother tending all night long to the offspring and throughout the day foraging for food, which could lead to increased contact.”
Swart added that there was nothing unusual about the increased daytime sightings as he’s seen the same thing happen around this time every year. He added that the sightings mean raccoons’ natural aversion to human contact is outweighed by whatever is motivating them to move freely during the daytime.
In the news bulletin, the SPD strongly advised against engaging with a raccoon no matter what time your paths may cross.
“Do not approach the raccoon or attempt to touch it, and give us a call,” read the statement.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offered the following advice to prevent raccoons from being a nuisance:
• Don’t leave pet food outside. If feeding pets outside, only give them as much as they’ll eat in one sitting. If necessary, place pet feeders in an enclosed area.
• Keep garbage bags in an entryway or garage, and in a metal can. Strap the lid down. Consider hanging cans or using a rack so they’re off the ground and less easy to access.
• Surround gardens with an electric fence, ideally prior to any planted vegetables ripening.
• Block any openings raccoons might use to get into your attics, porch, or other location.
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