A raccoon, which escaped from a shipping container on Friday, is presumed to be a juvenile animal and may not be old enough to breed, the Department of Agriculture has said.
The animal, which was one of two found on Friday morning in West Bay, escaped while the other was trapped.
The DoA, responding to queries from the Cayman Compass, said that the captured raccoon was determined to be a juvenile male.
The department said it had no information as to the sex of the raccoon on the loose. Some commenters online have asked whether the creature could be pregnant, amid fears about the threat of the arrival of the species to Grand Cayman.
However, the DoA said they believe this is unlikely to be the case.
“Based on the estimated age of the raccoon that was captured and information obtained from persons who saw both raccoons as to their relative size, the Department of Agriculture is of the opinion that the raccoon on the loose is also a juvenile and presumably not mature enough to breed,” it said in its emailed response to the Compass.
No further sightings
There have been no further sightings of the raccoon, the DoA said, as the animal continues to evade capture.
“Efforts to trap the raccoon have proved unsuccessful despite a large number of traps being deployed and monitored throughout the night. Since Friday, there have been no further sightings of the raccoon. As the animal could have moved in any direction, we are dependent on another sighting in order to determine where to target the trapping and search,” the DoA said.
Raccoons are nocturnal animals and are known to carry various diseases, including rabies.
What is rabies?
Rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system of mammals, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, although any mammal can get rabies. – Source CDC
Department of Environment terrestrial resources manager, Fred Burton told the Compass the DoE was concerned about the potential impact of the raccoon on the local ecosystem, as he explained that, “as a species, raccoons are highly invasive and pose a huge threat to native wildlife”.
The DoA acknowledged the threat, saying that the department’s priority is to safeguard the health of the residents and fauna of the Cayman Islands.
“The Cayman Islands is fortunate that it is rabies free and the Department has and continues to work diligently to ensure that this status is not jeopardized. As such, it is essential that we locate and capture the missing raccoon as quickly as possible so we can determine whether the Islands rabies free status has been in anyway compromised,” the DoA told the Compass.
Members of the public are urged not to approach or touch the animal, if spotted.
Rabies results pending
Although the DoA has not confirmed definitively that the captured animal has been euthanised, it did say “once the animals are captured, it is essential to determine the disease status of the animals, critically if they could be carrying the rabies virus.”
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in order to rule out if an animal has rabies, “the test must include tissue from at least two locations in the brain, preferably the brain stem and cerebellum”.
It adds, “The test requires that the animal be euthanized”.
Samples from the captured raccoon, the DoA said, have been sent to the United States to determine the animal’s disease status. Those results are pending.
Members of the public can contact DoA Veterinary Services at 916-5435 or 947-3090, or call 911 if they see the raccoon.
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