Where should I relocate a trapped raccoon?

Raccoons are wildlife animals, so they are generally fine living outside in the wilderness. The situation changes when a raccoon comes to human surroundings and gets used to life around humans. Raccoons that get near people are usually pregnant females looking for a safe location to build their nest where they can give the birth to their litter and breastfeed them there until they can become independent. A raccoon female will create a nest inside your attic, wall, or elsewhere in the house and stay there for several months, caring for the babies until they are grown up and ready to care for themselves. In this process, both the raccoon mother and the babies will get used to living around the people, getting the food and drink in an easier way, so it is indeed a serious matter when it comes to relocating a trapped raccoon once you do trap it.

Wildlife means the undomesticated animals species and they are the animals that grow or live in the wild in the area where they were not introduced by the humans. The wildlife may be found in each ecosystem like the grasslands, plains, rain forest, forest and deserts. Even if the popular term should stand for the wild that has not been touched by the human factors but in most cases, the wildlife has been affected by the human activities. There are different opinions on whether a raccoon living in a human house can be safely relocated to the wilderness. Opponents to relocation to forests claim that the animal will not be able to get used to finding the food in the wilderness, where there is usually no easily accessible food as around houses. If a raccoon is young, it is also highly unlikely that it will be able to find food for itself, so there is a real danger of starvation. There is also a danger that the area where you left a raccoon is already some other raccoon’s territory – and raccoons are very territorial animals that defend their territory with their life. Opponents of relocation even go so far that they claim it is better to kill a raccoon than to release it somewhere in the wilderness.

On the other hand, of course it is unacceptable to leave a raccoon in your home. If you choose to relocate a trapped raccoon, take it somewhere at least 5-7 miles away from your home (so that it can't find its way back to your home), close to a source of fresh water.

If you don't want to make a mistake with the relocation, you can always contact professionals to get help.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Raccoons page or email us if you have any other questions about Where should I relocate a trapped raccoon?