BC NEWS, WEST SHORE

Thursday, August 24, 2023

A racoon has been released from a bathroom following an incident with the wild animal on Tuesday night…

Police say on August 22, West Shore RCMP responded to an unusual call for help. At around 9:40 pm, officers received a report of screaming coming from the 500 block of Leckfield Ave in Langford. Moments later, another call was received from the same location about a dog that had been attacked by a racoon.

Investigation reveals that a medium sized dog had been attacked by a racoon in the yard and the dog ran back inside the house with the racoon following close behind. Both the dog and racoon entered the home and the racoon began fighting with the residents. The residents managed to get the racoon into the bathroom and shut the door, trapping it inside.

The homeowner called police looking for help to get the racoon back outside, while another person called police reporting screams coming from the home, no doubt due to the racoon invader, say Police.

RCMP contacted Animal Control but they were unable to attend so officers arrived on scene to assist. Police managed to capture the racoon using a dog pole brought by officers and a lacrosse pole, offered by the homeowner.

After putting up a decent fight, the racoon was secured and released outside.

“This was a bizarre encounter for police. We generally do not attend wildlife calls however, residents in the home had received injuries from this animal and Animal Control was not available, so the officers stepped in to help,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar, West Shore RCMP Media Relations Officer.

The residents of the home and the dog received minor injuries from the racoon.

For more information on how to manage human-racoon encounters visit the Government of BC website.