See, once you make Bruce Willis into a Raccoon, this sort of thing happens

[Tesha]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/08/22/international/i075248D01.DTL

Psycho Killer Raccoons Terrorize Olympia

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

A fierce group of raccoons has killed 10 cats, attacked a small
dog and bitten at least one pet owner who had to get rabies shots,
residents of Olympia say.

Some have taken to carrying pepper spray to ward off the masked
marauders and the woman who was bitten now carries an iron pipe
when she goes outside at night.

"It's a new breed," said Tamara Keeton, who with Kari Hall started
a raccoon watch after an emotional neighborhood meeting drew 40
people. "They're urban raccoons, and they're not afraid."

<snip>

"We used to love the raccoons. They'd have their babies this time
of year, and they were so cute. Even though we lived in the city,
it was neat to have wildlife around," he said, "but this year,
things changed. They went nuts."

In one case five raccoons tried to carry off a small dog, which
managed to survive.

<more>



"Yippee-kai-yay, mutherfucker!"

[MADem]

1. "They're urban raccoons, and they're not afraid."

Will this event be the basis for the next Samuel L. Jackson film?

That sounds like a line he's destined to speak!

[ninkasi]

2. They are obviously

Republican raccoons. Vicious, quick to attack, and out of control

[knowbody0]

3. those little fuckers come in through my cat door

It's me against them I tell ya. They open cabinets, know how to get the lid off Jiffy peanut butter and that the toilet is a good place to wash their hands.

[havocmom]

4. They've been known to be pretty brazen and hostile

More folks are just finding out as we move our 'urban areas' further into the critters' domain.

Urban coyotes do quite well too. Critters learn and adapt. They also do not give a shit about what we think of as our 'property rights'. They are resourceful and they LEARN how to make the best of new resources.

Coyotes, raccoons, skunks, bears, deer, elk, birds... all learning to make the best of the bad situation of man's encroachment. They are programmed to survive. Might as well learn to live with them and just use ones head to avoid a lot of problems

[noonwitch]

5. Shoot em, with bb guns or rifles

They're cute and all, but they are disease-carrying garbage eaters.

Where I grew up, it was illegal to shoot them, but our neighbors all did anyways. One of our neighbors raised swans and he used to shoot raccoons, weasals, muskrats and any other critter that would steal and eat swan eggs.

Although, how those animals got by the male swan is beyond me. Those things are vicious. He would back down to me, because I was tall and used to it, but he would attack little kids. He got one 4 year old one time, knocked him down and pecked his butt until his dad rescued him. If I were Leda, I'd have taken off running as soon as I saw that damned swan Zeus took the form of. Beautiful, vicious creatures.

[oc2002]

6. I have a raccoon living in my fireplace. And its a pain trying to get him

to leave. This is not the country side, its Arlington VA, 3 min drive from the Pentagon. They are prity smart too. I put a chimney cover, and he undid the screws and took it off.

Now if I can only get him to learn to read and write I can get him a job so he can pay rent for living in the chimney.

[slampoet]

7. In my neighborhood Skunks have elisted the help of Ferrets

I live in a College neighborhood and a lot of students just set their ferrets free at the end of the year. According to my neighbors, the ferrets have joined the local skunks in garbage raids over the last few years. I guess both smell bad so they get along. Ferrets get into hard to access places and the skunks provide protection.

I tell ya, some people can't be convinced of evolution even when they see it happen.

[Tesha]

8. Yippie-kai-yay!