5 ms·

Ive been fixated on the domesticated raccoon idea since I was a child and the disease reservoir problem is what really killed the fantasy for me. Roundworms an

Ive been fixated on the domesticated raccoon idea since I was a child and the disease reservoir problem is what really killed the fantasy for me. Roundworms and they’re also a reservoir for rabies. It would be impossible to prevent the domesticated raccoons from interacting with local wild raccoons, so there really isnt anything that can improve the situation. Its worth noting about 60% of infectious diseases are zoonotic, and every additional domestic species increases the routes existing viruses can take to evolve into infecting humans. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8808746/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8808746/

candiddevmike 2y ago
> so there really isnt anything that can improve the situation. They would get periodic rabies vaccines like every other domesticated animal?
- droopyEyelids 2y ago
  The difference is that other domestic animals do not have wild counterparts with rabies that live in our backyards, constantly trying to socialize and mate with (infect) them. There is hope though, the feds have been working to eliminate rabies in raccoons for a couple decades now. https://web.archive.org/web/20240618204646/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/massive-effort-eradicate-raccoon-rabies https://web.archive.org/web/20240618204646/https://www.natio...
  - quesera 2y ago
    Is the efficacy of the rabies vaccine low?
more_corn 2y ago
I hear there’s a vaccine for rabies.
- theoreticalmal 2y ago
  Someone should have told Meredith that before she got hit by a car
quesera 2y ago
> Ive been fixated on the domesticated raccoon idea since I was a child When I was about 12, I spent a summer volunteering at an Audubon Society program. Among my other responsibilities was caring for a litter of four orphaned raccoon babies (kits). They were just like kittens or puppies. Adorable, sweet, friendly, funny, amazing. They'd climb on you, ride on your shoulder, loved to run and play. My favorite part was their hands/feet, which were always surprisingly cool to the touch. I desperately wanted to take one, or all four, home with me at the end of the summer. In retrospect, I'm not sure if the Audubon Society adults had a plan, per se -- the kits were found orphaned and brought in by someone. But the stated intention was to reintroduce them to the wild at the end of the summer, when they were old enough. I'm not sure whether that happened, and not at all sure it would have been successful, but these are the harsh understandings of adulthood. (PS: I do not have, nor have I ever had, roundworms. I do not doubt the commentariat-wisdom here, but FWIW these kits were apparently clean.) ... We also had a great horned owl who had been at the facility for a few years, due to a permanent wing injury. He generally preferred to be left alone (and that was respected), but he greatly enjoyed being fed mealworms from (a gloved) hand.
- EvanAnderson 2y ago
  > I desperately wanted to take one, or all four, home with me at the end of the summer. Had you read about pet raccoon attacks your mind would have been changed. They're definitely not suitable pets even though the kits are very charismatic. (I'd classify them in the same bucket as people who try to keep chimpanzees as pets... That works out tragically for all parties involved too.)
  - quesera 2y ago
    > Had you read about pet raccoon attacks your mind would have been changed You might greatly overestimate the rationality of my preteen mind! My parents, though, were not preteens. So my desires would surely have been overruled regardless. I draw no conclusions regarding the wisdom of the Audubon Society staff.

candiddevmike 2y ago

> so there really isnt anything that can improve the situation. They would get periodic rabies vaccines like every other domesticated animal?

droopyEyelids 2y ago
The difference is that other domestic animals do not have wild counterparts with rabies that live in our backyards, constantly trying to socialize and mate with (infect) them. There is hope though, the feds have been working to eliminate rabies in raccoons for a couple decades now. https://web.archive.org/web/20240618204646/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/massive-effort-eradicate-raccoon-rabies https://web.archive.org/web/20240618204646/https://www.natio...
- quesera 2y ago
  Is the efficacy of the rabies vaccine low?

more_corn 2y ago

I hear there’s a vaccine for rabies.

theoreticalmal 2y ago
Someone should have told Meredith that before she got hit by a car

quesera 2y ago

> Ive been fixated on the domesticated raccoon idea since I was a child When I was about 12, I spent a summer volunteering at an Audubon Society program. Among my other responsibilities was caring for a litter of four orphaned raccoon babies (kits). They were just like kittens or puppies. Adorable, sweet, friendly, funny, amazing. They'd climb on you, ride on your shoulder, loved to run and play. My favorite part was their hands/feet, which were always surprisingly cool to the touch. I desperately wanted to take one, or all four, home with me at the end of the summer. In retrospect, I'm not sure if the Audubon Society adults had a plan, per se -- the kits were found orphaned and brought in by someone. But the stated intention was to reintroduce them to the wild at the end of the summer, when they were old enough. I'm not sure whether that happened, and not at all sure it would have been successful, but these are the harsh understandings of adulthood. (PS: I do not have, nor have I ever had, roundworms. I do not doubt the commentariat-wisdom here, but FWIW these kits were apparently clean.) ... We also had a great horned owl who had been at the facility for a few years, due to a permanent wing injury. He generally preferred to be left alone (and that was respected), but he greatly enjoyed being fed mealworms from (a gloved) hand.

EvanAnderson 2y ago
> I desperately wanted to take one, or all four, home with me at the end of the summer. Had you read about pet raccoon attacks your mind would have been changed. They're definitely not suitable pets even though the kits are very charismatic. (I'd classify them in the same bucket as people who try to keep chimpanzees as pets... That works out tragically for all parties involved too.)
- quesera 2y ago
  > Had you read about pet raccoon attacks your mind would have been changed You might greatly overestimate the rationality of my preteen mind! My parents, though, were not preteens. So my desires would surely have been overruled regardless. I draw no conclusions regarding the wisdom of the Audubon Society staff.