Those who have seen him say he is “huge,” cunning as a fox, and hungry. A raccoon causes a stir in the streets of Limoilou, where it attacks city chicken coops at night, leaving a trail of feathers and many questions behind it.
Posted at 7:00 p.m.
“He left with one of the chickens. I never found her. I just found his feathers on the ground,” says heartbroken Gaëlle Damestoy.
The Quebec resident raises chickens in the city like thousands of Quebecers. The popularity of this practice has exploded in recent years. More than 60 municipalities now allow the keeping of laying hens.
These new city dwellers have not only attracted the playful attention of the neighborhood children. The raccoons have also noticed their arrival in town.
In Quebec’s Limoilou sector, a raccoon attacked at least three chicken coops within a few weeks in September. Is it a single individual or are there several? Impossible to know. But those who have seen it describe a remarkable specimen.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
A raccoon attacked Gaëlle Damestoy’s chickens. One of the animals has disappeared.
“I slept with the window open. Around 4 a.m. I heard the chickens screaming. I ran outside and saw the raccoon coming out of the chicken coop. It was huge, I took a step back! », Gaëlle Damestoy remembers the events on the night of September 14th and 15th.
The chickens defended themselves. He scratched and bit her. They are traumatized. We don’t hear them anymore, they hide, they try to recover from these wounds. Some are damaged. That makes something.
Gaëlle Damestoy, resident of Limoilou
One of the chickens was never found. The mother recounted the event on a neighborhood Facebook page. In response, several residents reported that they had recently experienced the same thing. “My neighbor’s two chickens were killed last night,” said one lady.
Three weeks ago, another resident of the Limoilou neighborhood experienced a similar scenario: chickens screaming at night and a raccoon in the chicken coop.
“I saw it come out. “It’s huge, it looks like a dog, it doesn’t make sense,” remembers Sophie Grenier-Héroux. She was luckier: she didn’t lose any poultry.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Sophie Grenier-Héroux was also visited by a raccoon in the chicken coop in her garden in Limoilou.
She followed their advice and sprayed the area surrounding the chicken coop with vinegar and cayenne pepper. When she heard about the misfortune from Mrs. Damestoy, who lives at the other end of the neighborhood, she told herself that the raccoon had moved further away.
“But he came back three days ago,” says Ms. Grenier-Héroux. I’m afraid for my chickens. »
An inevitable coexistence
Raccoons are regulars in cities, as many city dwellers noticed when they found their trash cans ripped open. They also represent one of the main predators of chickens in urban areas.
“Poultry often have their heads cut off, their breasts opened and chewed, their entrails eaten,” Quebec’s Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks lists in a statement, as all are indications of a raccoon infestation in the chicken coop.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
“Researchers believe that urban raccoons are becoming more resourceful and adventurous,” explains Dr. Caroline Kilsdonk.
The City of Quebec does not have data on the number of raccoons on its territory or on incidents of this type. “If a citizen has problems living with a raccoon, they are usually referred to private services with expertise in urban wildlife management,” explains a city spokesman, Jean-Pascal Lavoie.
But according to Dr. For Caroline Kilsdonk, a veterinarian and ethicist, moving raccoons is a Sisyphean task.
“If we decide to eliminate raccoons in certain neighborhoods, the raccoons will multiply more in the surrounding areas and recolonize the areas where they were eliminated,” she says.
There is no other solution than to accept their existence and deal with it.
Dr. Caroline Kilsdonk, veterinarian and ethicist
The advantage of raccoons – if you can put it that way – is that they attack at night, when the chickens are usually in the coop. It is this small complex that must therefore be converted into a fortress.
“For the night you need good doors, good locks and well-locked latches,” notes Dr. Kilsdonk.
More and more intelligent animals
Ms. Damestoy, who appealed to the DIY talents of neighborhood residents on social networks, wants to take this route. But the raccoon is stubborn. And even a good craftsman can experience his Waterloo after dark.
There is a lot of advice on specialized websites, but it is not easy. It is recommended to surround the chicken coop with a six-foot fence, with an 18-inch section buried underground…
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
To protect the chickens, you have to secure the chicken coop and not hope that moving the raccoons will solve the problem, notes veterinarian Caroline Kilsdonk.
Scientific research has bad news for urban ranchers, warns Dr. Kilsdonk.
“Researchers believe urban raccoons are becoming increasingly resourceful and adventurous. It’s not like they can use their brains to understand how a latch or handle works. No, it’s more about them trying, trying, trying… And eventually it works. »
The victims of the recent attacks in Quebec want to secure their chicken coop. But they don’t hide their fear.
The attack that occurred last week left Ms. Damestoy bruised and wondering: Will she be able to protect the three chickens she still has? She wonders if she would like to relive such an episode for her daughters, ages 8 and 12, who have become accustomed to the chickens. The one who disappeared was the most sociable.
“It’s a damn raccoon attack. “There are feathers everywhere, blood, it’s brutal,” she said. We don’t want to experience it often. It can slow people down. »