ADULT RACCOON(S)
Do not underestimate an injured adult.
1. OBSERVE
What is normal behavior?
Even though raccoons are considered nocturnal, mother raccoons sometimes nap in trees or forage during the day especially when they have nursing cubs depleting their energy. Raccoons learn when people put pet food outside and take advantage of the free buffet. Coastal raccoons take advantage of low tides and are often seen by day. Seeing a raccoon out and about during the day can be totally normal and should not be misperceived as a sign of rabies, unless the raccoon is acting abnormally.
3. CALL
Something is wrong.
Call a local animal control officer or the police if an adult raccoon seen during the day, is showing abnormal behaviors such as partial paralysis, circling, staggering as if drunk or disoriented, self-mutilating, screeching, or exhibiting unprovoked aggression or unnatural tameness. These signs could indicate rabies, or possibly other conditions, such as distemper, mercury poisoning, or head trauma. If safe to do so, monitor the animal from a distance until help arrives, and keep pets indoors.
Two signs of rabies:
1. Self-mutilation (ex: chewing on paws)
2. High pitched and continual screaming (sounds like a woman being attacked)
If no abnormal behaviors are present, leave the raccoon alone and keep people and pets away from the animal.