Cases of Sick and Injured Raccoons on the Rise in Toronto, City Says

A raccoon licks his chops in an environment reproducing a Laurentian Maple Forrest during a media event at Montreal's Biodome on Aug. 20, 2020. The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson

Calls about sick or injured animals continue to keep Toronto Animal Services employees busy this year as the canine distemper virus persistently plagues the raccoon population.

The city received 6,567 service requests for dead, sick, or injured animals from Jan. 1 to April 30 this year, most of them regarding raccoons.

“Toronto Animal Services (TAS) can confirm that there has been an increase in the number of service requests for sick and injured animals this spring,” City of Toronto senior communications coordinator Shane Gerard said in an email to The Epoch Times.

“While exact numbers are not possible to determine, it is estimated that approximately 90 percent of the numbers are raccoon related.”

While the stats do not specifically indicate canine distemper, the disease has become endemic among the raccoon population and was the source of an outbreak in the fall of 2022.

The fatal, highly contagious disease has been present in Ontario for at least six decades and has become widespread in several wildlife populations in the province, including raccoons, according to a Ministry of the Environment fact sheet.

Although the virus does not cause illness in humans, it can be spread to other animals, such as unvaccinated dogs.

Raccoon Risks

While infected raccoons are often thought to be exceedingly aggressive, it is actually more likely for them to be lethargic and confused, says Toronto Wildlife Centre executive director Nathalie Karvonen.

A raccoon with distemper is unlikely to randomly attack a person, but they may defend themselves if they feel cornered, Ms. Karvonen said in an interview with The Epoch Times.

The most likely scenario of an infected raccoon biting a human would be if someone tried to touch it, she said.

“If kids were outside playing and saw a raccoon like this, they might just be able to walk right up to it and think that they could pet it, and maybe the raccoon would be frightened and nip the child,” she said. “But that’s the only circumstances I could see that there would be any danger.”

Infected raccoons rarely pose a threat to pets either, Ms. Karvonen said.

“Most of the time, in our experience, when wild animals and dogs get into a fight, the dog starts it,” she said. “So if you had one of those dogs that chases … every squirrel and every gull that it sees, and it went after a raccoon like this, the raccoon may not run away. If the dog were to bite the raccoon, maybe the raccoon would defend itself.”

Even in such a situation, most dogs would not get sick because distemper is part of the normal vaccine protocol, she said. Only unvaccinated or immunocompromised dogs would be at risk.

Keeping a dog on a leash and supervising in off-leash areas will help ensure your pet doesn’t try to tangle with a raccoon, Mr. Gerard said. He also recommended keeping cats indoors or supervising them when outside.

Signs of Distemper

Some of the most common signs that a raccoon has distemper are a lack of concern about people and strange behaviours such as taking a nap on a busy sidewalk or road. Ms. Karvonen, a wildlife biologist, has rescued a raccoon in that exact situation.

“I actually was stuck on a busy road once behind a bunch of traffic and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. When I got closer I realized there was a raccoon just sitting in the lanes of the traffic And people were out looking at it wondering what to do,” she said.

“I just walked up to the raccoon, scruffed it, picked it up, and plunked it on my passenger seat in my car and drove it into work. That’s not normal [behaviour] for a raccoon, but their brains are not working properly” when they have distemper.

Distemper affects the neurological systems of infected animals making disorientation a common side effect, the ministry says. Infected animals may also wander aimlessly in a circle and may even experience paralysis.

A mucus discharge will often be present around the eyes and nose and may be accompanied by coughing, tremors, seizures, or chewing fits, the city added.

Raccoons and Rabies

It is not uncommon for rabies to be confused with distemper because some of the symptoms, such as a loss of fear around humans, are similar, the ministry said. However, distemper does not cause aggression while rabies can.

“Animals with the furious form of rabies may be extremely excited and aggressive, attack other objects or animals, and can even gnaw at or bite their own limbs,” the ministry said.

“Animals can be infected with both distemper and rabies at the same time. This is called co-infection. If an animal is misdiagnosed and eventually released, it could spread both rabies and distemper.”

While distemper poses no threat to humans, rabies does, according to Public Health Ontario. The viral infection causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord and is almost always fatal.

“Rabies is usually transmitted to humans from the bite of an infected animal,” public health said on its website. “Bats, skunks, foxes and raccoons are the most common animals to have rabies in Canada; however, human rabies cases are very rare.”

Ontario’s last domestic case of human rabies occurred in 1967.

If bitten by a wild animal, public health recommends thoroughly washing the wound and seeking immediate medical assistance.

Dealing With Wildlife

City residents should avoid interacting with wildlife no matter what the situation, Mr. Gerard said, adding that feeding wild animals is never a good idea.

He recommends people avoid approaching a raccoon, especially if it appears to be sick.

“Residents are encouraged to contact 311 if they see a raccoon or other wildlife displaying abnormal behaviour,” he said, adding that “service requests for sick and injured animals are prioritized.”

Residents can also submit service requests to 311 for pick-up of dead raccoons and other larger animals.

“These animals should not be put in the garbage,” Mr. Gerard said. “Small dead animals, such as squirrels, mice, rats and birds can be placed in the garbage if double-bagged (with the bags tied). Residents are reminded to never touch dead animals with bare hands, but instead, wear gloves or use a double plastic bag and wash their hands thoroughly after any contact.”