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Aggressive raccoons not associated with canine distemper: Conservation
There have been reports of raccoons displaying symptoms of canine distemper. (JENELLE SCHNEIDER / POSTMEDIA NEWS ARCHIVES)
Winnipeg police have shot and killed five raccoons in the past 10 days as a result of the animals being injured or acting aggressively.
But a Manitoba Conservation official said the aggressive raccoons are not associated with an outbreak of the canine distemper virus in the raccoon population.
The Winnipeg Police Service said there have been a large number of animal calls from the public from the city’s east end since August 12.
WPS spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said officers responding to an animal call decide what is the most appropriate course of action, with public safety paramount.
Manitoba Conservation said canine distemper was confirmed among Winnipeg’s raccoon population at the beginning of July but the virus makes raccoons lethargic, not aggressive.
Provincial wildlife biologist Dean Berazanski said people should just leave raccoons alone if they show the tell-tale signs of mucus around the eyes and nose.
"If people don’t approach them, there won’t be a problem," Berazanski said.
Manitoba Conservation and private pest control companies routinely trap about 1,300 raccoons within Winnipeg every year. Since July, Winnipeg Conservation has removed 78 raccoons from the city, a typical number for summer months.
History
Updated on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 4:59 PM CDT: amends info on who traps the 1300 raccoons in Winnipeg every year
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