Sal Piccolo has lived in Old Howard Beach for 47 years, and in all that time, he said, it’s never been this bad.
Three or four months ago, he said, his son heard growling in the yard as he gardened. Then, “in the past two or three weeks, raccoons have been coming around brazenly.”
Piccolo told The Courier that neighbors in the vicinity of 98th Street and 163rd Avenue have seen the normally nocturnal creatures during the day, in the school yard of P.S. 146 and even “just walking across the street.”
One man, he said, was nearly attacked.
“Who know if the raccoons are diseased,” said Piccolo, who has called, among others, 3-1-1, the ASPCA, the Community Board, even the FDNY. Neighbors have also called the Department of Health (DOH) and Animal Care & Control, which did not return any of The Courier’s many calls.
“It’s a hassle,” said Piccolo. “I have a grandson – he and my daughter are afraid to go outside.”
Neighbors say that the raccoons have a source of food, since it is left out for area cats, and it draws the raccoons.
“They climb fences, eat garbage,” said Annamaria, who has small children. “I saw 10 of them walking in the street [before dark] hissing and growling. We don’t want to live like this.”
A New York State-licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator, when contacted by The Courier, said that he’s actually “seen raccoons rip a roof off a house. If they want in, they’ll get in.”
He noted that he receives more phone calls this time of year about raccoons seen during daylight hours because of the heat – they need to hydrate – or because it is generally a female with young.
“They go out during the day if they need to,” he said.
According to him, there are really only two courses of action to get rid of the creatures: call a private trapper, or you can trap the animal yourself and hire a private company to remove it.
Arlene Brown, a spokesperson for City Councilmember Eric Ulrich, who noted that their office receives “numerous complaints every year,” also pointed out that there are “no city ordinances against raccoons.”
Nick Sbordone, a spokesperson for 3-1-1, agreed, though he urged residents to call.
“If you call 3-1-1 you will be transferred to Animal Care & Control and can receive flyers on how to humanely remove raccoons and discourage them from returning,” he said. “You can also call 4-1-1 or use the Yellow Pages for trapping services.”
But Brown, who noted that private trappers range from $800 to $1,200, did offer some advice.
“The DOH recommends bright lights and loud music to discourage them,” she said. “Also, close anything open – garages, basements, attics. And since raccoons are territorial, if they smell another animal they will go away.”
So she recommends purchasing coyote urine, sold in pellets or in liquid form, online.
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