Nantucket Island Hunts Down Lone Raccoon
Although the native populations lived with raccoons and even used them as a food source, since Nantucket separated from mainland North American about twenty thousand years ago, there have been exactly zero of these ring-tailed rodents on the island.
But now there is one. Apparently he (or she) stowed away on a fuel truck coming over via ferry on June 12th. Sightings have included a resident who reported the hungry rodent eating birdseed out of cans on his property. Using videotape and an influx of expert advice, the homeowner decided to use a Havahart trap to secure the creature.
She (or he) probably wants back on the mainland, anyway. The entire island is hunting this raccoon down. The creature could carry a disease or worse yet, be pregnant. And this real estate is pricey, so there is a limit to the number – and variety – of mammals that are allowed to have homes here.
The raccoon interloper now has a name, Rocky/Roxy. But no word yet on whether the humane trap worked. If caught – and its only a matter of time – the mysteriously gendered animal will be returned to the mainland for a much improved, and less lonely, lifestyle.
