On Tuesday May 23, 2023, an unidentified woman brought a baby raccoon into a Petco in Maine. She wanted to get its nails trimmed. Many people in the store were charmed by the adorable creature, held it, and even kissed it.
Once store employees became aware of the raccoon's presence, the woman was asked to leave because it is illegal to own wildlife and the store does not offer raccoon grooming services. The manager then contacted the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Warden Service. Sadly the animal had to be put down because of concerns over rabies.
A statement posted to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife’s Facebook page tries to explain this decision: “Raccoons are one of the most common carriers of rabies in Maine. Rabies is lethal unless treated after exposure.”
“Rabies is spread through a rabid animal’s saliva or neural tissue, and a person can be exposed when that saliva or neural tissue of a rabid animal comes in contact with a person through a bite or scratch, cut in the skin, or gets into the eyes, nose, or mouth,” the statement continues. It also urged anyone who had come into contact with this animal to contact their doctor. The post was later updated to inform readers that the raccoon in question did not have the disease.
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This sad story is a good reminder to leave wildlife alone, no matter how cute an animal may be. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has two mottos that help spread this message. "Please 'Keep Wildlife Wild' and 'If you care, leave them there,'" it urges.
