Last month, Jordan Barbeau’s husband left their Northwest Portland home to take their dogs, Rosie and Bodhi, on an evening walk. They made it only to the other side of the street before an aggressive raccoon lunged at them.
That raccoon may still be roaming the neighborhood weeks later, and 36-year-old Barbeau and others are escalating their warnings after a second raccoon attack sent a woman to the emergency room with two bites this month.
“It’s unsettling,” said Barbeau.
On July 16, a raccoon emerged from the bushes across the street from Barbeau’s home at Northwest Johnson Street and 22nd Avenue and charged at her husband and the couple’s dogs without warning, Barbeau said. The raccoon clung to Rosie, a 73-pound husky and malamute mix, dug into her chest, tore her ear and bit her face. The raccoon left puncture wounds in the other dog’s leg. The attack was caught on video. Her husband was not injured.
From that point on, the couple walked the dogs together and carried flashlights at night. They also contacted the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Barbeau then set traps the wildlife department loaned her, near her back patio and garage.
A few weeks later, on Aug.1, a raccoon that Barbeau said she believes is the one that mauled her pets, attacked a woman walking her dog outside Barbeau’s home. Video footage shows the woman screaming for help and the dog barking wildly. The woman, who lives in the area, was bitten twice and went to the emergency room, Barbeau said.
“We heard the screaming outside, and my heart just dropped,” she said. “We went out and sure enough this raccoon was attacking this woman and her dog.”
After the attack, Barbeau spotted a pack of five raccoons on surveillance footage of her backyard. Officials said the aggressive raccoon is likely a protective mother, and that it sees the dogs as threats.
Raccoons that attack people and pets or are desensitized to humans must be euthanized, according to the wildlife department. Barbeau hired a third-party wildlife control company to help capture the animals.
But the animals were smart enough to dodge the catch-and-release traps Barbeau set up in her yard. Barbeau caught two of the younger raccoons in a different trap over the weekend.
Wildlife officials euthanized those two raccoons, which is standard practice, according to Benjamin Cate, a wildlife biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. They had “lost wariness” of people and pets, Cate said in an email.
It is illegal in Oregon to relocate raccoons because they can spread disease, and often don’t survive in a new environment, Cate said.
A third raccoon was found dead in the neighborhood Aug. 5, Barbeau said.
If you have been bitten by a raccoon or another animal, seek medical attention immediately. Make sure your pets are up to date on all vaccines. People can report bites and aggressive behavior to the wildlife department and their local county health department, Cate said.
The wildlife department said people should stay aware of their surroundings and do their best to keep their pets away from wild animals. Officials said to avoid putting your body between your pet and an aggressive animal if they do begin fighting. Officials recommend standing back and giving the animal a route to escape.
People also should avoid feeding raccoons, or leaving food outside that the raccoons can access. If you need assistance with a wild animal, you can call the wildlife department for advice. They can refer you to licensed wildlife control professionals.
While she doesn’t want to see the animals harmed, Barbeau said they’re too dangerous and unpredictable. She hopes to catch the larger raccoon in the coming weeks.
“The raccoon has no fear around dogs or people,” she said. “The attacks that have happened, she’s not cornered and no one is between her and her babies, and she decides that anyone who has a dog within sight is too close.”
