GALVESTON, Texas – If you’ve spent any time on the east end of the Galveston Seawall lately, you’ve probably seen them — raccoons hanging around, looking for handouts. They’re bold, they’re curious and, yes, they’re cute. But officials say feeding them is creating a dangerous situation that’s already put several people in harm’s way.
Seven raccoon bites have been reported in just two weeks — and officials worry that may only reflect the cases people actually called in. Just one day before KPRC 2 visited the area, a city animal services supervisor counted 21 raccoons on that stretch of the Seawall — many of them congregating right between the signs telling people not to feed them.
Josh Henderson, a supervisor with Galveston Animal Services, says the animals have completely lost their fear of people — and the reason is simple.
“All of these snacks being delivered to the raccoons — whether it’s cat food or your leftover McDonald’s — is far outside of their normal diet,” Henderson said. “And because it’s being offered in mass, they come to expect it. When I came out here yesterday morning, they’re just lined up, coming right up. I had them chewing on my boots. Just begging. No fear. Zero fear.”
KPRC 2 witnessed the problem firsthand. A couple was spotted handing out food near the warning signs. When asked if they had seen the signs, they said they had just arrived and hadn’t noticed them.
This isn’t a new problem. Henderson says the city has been dealing with it since last year, when warning signs were posted and nine raccoons were relocated in an effort to get things under control.
The bigger concern is rabies. Raccoons are one of the animals most commonly known to carry the disease. But testing them isn’t as simple as it sounds.
“It’s not just a simple blood test,” Henderson said. “It does involve euthanizing the animal in order to test. It doesn’t seem the most humane approach to come out here and rabies test what would effectively only be a fraction of the population — because it’s going to be impossible for us to say we absolutely got them all.”
So what should you do if a raccoon bites or scratches you? Dr. Philip Keiser, CEO of the Galveston County Local Health Authority, says don’t wait.
“Wash the wound right away — but then seek care. Don’t wait days,” Keiser said. “You’ll get some injections in the wound which will neutralize it and then undergo a series of antibodies. The old way of getting rabies shots in the stomach — that’s done. We don’t do that anymore. We have very good vaccines that can be given intramuscularly.”
Henderson says allowing this to go unchecked would be reckless. His goal is straightforward — educate the public, keep visitors safe and stop the raccoons from becoming dependent on handouts from people passing through.