Sick raccoons reported in Worthington

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WORTHINGTON — Authorities received a report Friday of a raccoon trying to get into Walmart shortly before 7 a.m. It eventually wandered off toward the fairground and was not located, according to Director of Public Safety Mike Cumiskey.

It isn’t unusual to get a few calls about animals behaving strangely, and incident reports indicate raccoons and skunks are reported most often, next to nuisance dog and cat calls.

On Sunday, two more reports of a possibly sick raccoon came into the dispatch center. At approximately 10:50 a.m., a complainant reported a sick looking raccoon near the electrical box by the county shed in the Clary Street/Fredrich Avenue area. At 12:42 p.m., dispatch received a report of a possibly sick raccoon near the Nobles County Public Works parking lot. Cumiskey said he believes the two calls on Sunday are related. The raccoon left on its own after the first call, and ran off during the second call, he said.

Generally the police department doesn’t euthanize nuisance animals unless they are apparently sick. If an animal does have to be put down, it normally isn’t tested for any kind of disease.

“In the past when they are sick, they are generally thought to have distemper,” Cumiskey said.

People are urged to stay away from any suspicious-acting animal, and to also keep their pets away from a potentially ill wildlife. Anyone spotting a sick-looking animal should contact law enforcement.

With the recent report of a man in Oregon who contracted the plague after being bit by a stray cat, staying away from animals exhibiting unusual behavior seems wise. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are an average of seven human plague cases reported each year, primarily in the west.

Tags: news, sick, raccoons, reported, worthington