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Raccoon in the Garage!

Mom went out into the garage Sunday morning and quickly came back into the house. She said the garage was all messed up. She thought an animal might have gotten in. I went out to take a look.

All of the cabinets where I keep my tools were opened, and there were things all over the floor. The bikes were knocked over and there were animal droppings in several places. I started putting stuff back in the cabinet when I saw something move and heard a low growl. I almost jumped out of my skin. There was a big raccoon in the cabinet!

I moved the cars and cleared a path for him, and then banged a stick on the cabinet. I expected him to see daylight and bolt, but all he did was back into the corner of the cabinet and growl even louder.

Click the pictures for larger images.
 
Stuff all over the floor. Raccoon in the cabinet.

At this point I started thinking that maybe there was something wrong with this raccoon because it didn't want to leave; perhaps he was sick or maybe even rabid. I was out of my league and out of ideas. I did not want to hurt it and I certainly did not want to get bitten, so Mom called the police. Within minutes a squad car pulled up, followed shortly by an Emergency Services Unit truck.  
 
The White Plains police arrive. Ready for battle.

The two ESU cops had apparently dealt with this sort of thing before, because they had gloves, poles, and a noose with which to snag my unwelcome guest. Meanwhile the raccoon had braced for battle and had wedged himself in tightly behind the cabinets. Clearly he wasn't going to leave willingly.

While one ESU cop on the left prodded the raccoon with the pole, the other cop stationed himself at the right side of the cabinets with the noose.
 
Raccoon is now behind the cabinets. Getting ready with the noose.

As soon as the raccoon poked his head out, they snagged him and dragged him out of the garage. The raccoon was growling and fighting mad. I guess I would have been too.
 
Here he comes. Got him!

I was not sure what they were going to do with it, but I thought they would take him away. Instead they brought him out into the middle of the street and released him. The raccoon immediately climbed to the top of the nearest tree.
 
A quick release and the raccoon climbed up the tree. Raccoon near the top of the tree.

Some time later one of my neighbors told me they saw the raccoon climb down and it disappeared behind my other neighbor's house.

I appreciate the quick response of the White Plains Police Department and I thank them for a job well done.

So how did the raccoon get in? We think that the previous night when Mom went out for a walk she left the door open, and in that fifteen minutes or so the raccoon snuck in. Obviously we have to be a lot more careful about not leaving the garage doors open at night.


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