Raccoon attacks are incredibly rare, and they generally happen only in one of three circumstances - if they perceive you as a threat and have no route for escape, if they’re trying to protect their young, or if they’re suffering from an illness that makes them more aggressive. We’re here to answer the question of whether or not raccoons are dangerous and to identify how humans can coexist safely with them. But living alongside other animals means respecting them and recognizing that they’re wild animals. With their distinctive masks and chubby features, they’re also some of the cutest animals we share our environment with. Out of all the animals that are seen in the suburbs and cities, raccoons are often one of the most ubiquitous. To find out more about our services or to request an appointment, give us a call at (888) 592-0387.Human progress has led to the development of new ecosystems - and as our population has sprawled into the territories of other creatures, they’ve come to adapt to survive in our urban environments. Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control works within the parameters of the animals’ natural habits and lifecycles to ensure safe and humane removal. When their presence does become an issue, the Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control team in Madison ensures they will be removed safely without doing further damage to your property. We often think of raccoons either as cute and curious or as a nuisance, but they actually serve important roles within the ecosystems in which they live. Their presence helps maintain a balance in the web of life. In more rural areas, they become prey to bobcats, great horned owls and wolves. Their primary urban predators are coyotes and foxes. These mammals are themselves a meal for larger carnivores. While raccoons are adept at hunting their prey, they are also low on the food chain totem pole. This improves aeration, which is good for plant recruitment and speeds up decomposition. Through their efforts in seeking food in the soil, they help with soil turnover. They are diggers, and while this can seem to be a destructive behavior, it serves an important function.
Raccoon habits offer another benefit to the environments where they live. Raccoons are important to maintaining ecosystem health and diversity because they assist in the lifecycles of a variety of plants. Later, when they eliminate their waste, the seeds from the plants they eat are dispersed to a new area. They feast on wild berries, fruit and nuts. Though females range shorter distances because of their young, they do still travel to forage, scavenge and hunt. Males establish a home territory that is approximately 250 acres. Adult male raccoons tend to be solitary, while females and their young live in social groups. They may travel more than 10 miles in search of food. When the masked ranger feasts on the larvae of wasp species, it is providing a valuable service for the protection of bees. Wasps are generally more aggressive than bees and frequently take over bee habitats, pushing them out or effectively killing them off. With the struggles our bees have been having, one important role for raccoons is bee protection. In this manner, they help keep those populations in check. Grubs are a favorite food, but they’ll also seek out wasp larvae, rodents, small snakes and other smaller critters. In addition to scavenging, raccoons are also predators. These mammals essentially clean up the remains of dead animals after predators are finished, much like the vultures you see eating roadkill. They are scavengers and will happily feed on carrion. Raccoons play an important role in maintaining ecosystem health. They’re omnivorous, which means that they can eat pretty much anything, and they do. One of the reasons for this is that they have a flexible diet. These animals are just as capable of survival in the city as they are in the forest. They are found in just about every ecosystem in the United States, the one exception being desert environments. These animals are as cute as they are destructive, but do they actually serve a purpose? A Not-So-Picky Bandit On the flip side, it can be highly entertaining watching them eat or fastidiously clean their faces afterwards. Should one set up residence on your property and become a nuisance, you need expert help with humane raccoon control Madison. When you wake up in the morning and find your garbage bin tumbled on its side, lid off, and contents scattered around the yard, you can be fairly certain the culprit is a raccoon. Everyone knows raccoons: the masked bandits in our yards.