“This angry raccoon came shooting out between the two garages and went to get me,” he told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday.
“I entered the house and closed the door.  The raccoon stayed on the porch screeching and howling and whistling, and then he came down and climbed that tree.’
Luckily, the east Toronto resident was able to escape the creature, but said the ordeal was “very painful.”
Romain, in a Facebook post to a Leslieville group, said he called “animal control” to report the sick raccoon, which he said posed a danger to children and pets, but said as of Tuesday afternoon, still waiting for someone to show it.  above.
The raccoon that came for Romain likely has distemper, a contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of dogs and other wild animals, including foxes, raccoons, coyotes and skunks.
While the disease has been around for some time, Toronto Animal Services (TAS) told CP24.com that they typically see an increase in the disease among the raccoon population every two to three years.
They said a raccoon outbreak is declared when they begin to see an increase in requests for services for sick raccoons showing symptoms related to the infectious disease.
The latest monthly data from TAS shows that there was a significant increase in requests for raccoon services from May to September 2022 for both dead and injured and sick wildlife, prompting them to declare a raccoon outbreak.
Supervisor Carl Bandow said for the framework, between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, they received 502 requests for sick/injured animals, 70 requests for trapped stray animals, stray dogs and animals in need of protective care as a result of the owner’s hospitalization.  , confined, emergency fire or eviction, and 411 service requests for body pickup.
With so many calls for service, Toronto Animal Services said wait times for sick, injured or dead wildlife have increased significantly.
“There are usually four TAS officers working during the day and two at night to respond to service requests.  While staff are working to remove the carcasses as quickly as possible, we are prioritizing responding to calls of sick and injured animals,” Bandow told CP24.
“TAS currently averages a response time of 12 to 14 days for mortuary service requests versus the standard 48 hours.  Our small and dedicated team works very hard to prioritize requests and respond in a timely manner.  We thank residents for their patience and understanding during this very busy period.”
Toronto Animal Services told CP24 that most of the recent requests for service have come from Ward 14 (Toronto-Danforth) and Ward 19 (Beaches East York), “with a smaller increase” in Ward 15 (Don Valley West) and Ward 20 (Scarborough Southwest).  ).
Toronto Animal Services said raccoons with plague usually lose their fear of people, appear blind and confused, may wander aimlessly and may become aggressive if cornered.  The department advises residents to “avoid physical contact with raccoons and other wildlife and give them the space they need to escape.”
They also advise people to take extra precautions to reduce the risk of disease transmission from wildlife to dogs, including ensuring dogs are vaccinated against rabies and rabies, closely monitoring their dogs when outdoors to not encountering wild animals and discouraging raccoons from inhabiting yards.
More information about the raccoon riot can be found on the City of Toronto’s Raccoons website.
With files from Beth MacDonnell of CTV News Toronto.