Raccoons escape from an Isle of Wight zoo

[enfieldspares]

Raccoons on the run: Dogs and drones search for escaped animals on Isle of Wight

People are being asked to check areas such as sheds and bonfire piles for the missing animals.

news.sky.com

So let us hope that all the wrath and ire of a certain Isle of Wight resident is now directed against this non-native species now being at large. And that DEFRA or whomsoever apply the relevant sanctions and penalties as below.

Penalties for breaking the law​

Different penalties apply depending on the seriousness of the offence.
You may:

• get a warning
• be served with a notice, for example a compliance or restoration notice, where you must take steps to fix damage
• be fined
• be sent to prison for a maximum of 3 months for a summary offence or 2 years for an indictable offence

In addition, if you’ve got a permit or licence and commit an offence, you may:

• lose your permit or licence
• not be allowed to get another one for up to 5 years

 

[csl]

Not too much to worry about... unless they board the ferry...

 

[shakey jake]

I can think of an easy way to check bonfires this weekend

 

[alberta boy]

Trash Pandas can be a scourge . They're intelligent , eat anything and breed like rats , not good .

AB

 

[rsf]

In Canada they literally ate my cedar shake shingle roof looking for a place to spend the winter. My brother was able to discourage them. They are ingenious and cause havoc. please treat as an invasive animal.

 

[waterford103]

Can they swim ? How wide is the Solent ? Not as wide as the channel and the rats keep getting across !

 

[Tim.243]

Not too much to worry about... unless they board the ferry...

is that the small ones based in France........

 

[old 30-06]

Raccoons are neither rare or endangered. Why would a zoo on the Isle of Wight be keeping them in the first place ? Oh yes, to make money ! Why isn't Packham leading off about this ?

 

[opticron1]

Or else, do what a chef/hunter is doing in Germany at present with their exploding number of Raccoons.....make them into Wurst!
Apparently first introduced by a certain Hermann Goering on his country estate to add a bit of variety to his shooting!

 

[shakey jake]

Can they swim ? How wide is the Solent ? Not as wide as the channel and the rats keep getting across !

Thats a fairly awful thing to say

 

[rsf]

They can swim. The article mentioned that they were females which should reassure us that they will not be able to breed, but Packham's only over in the New forest, so.....

As far as eating them, I can't think it would be something I'd be going back for seconds on.

 

[Tazz]

Not too much to worry about... unless they board the ferry...

Or find an inflatable then they could try for Asylum

 

[JTO]

Something else for someone's bucket list.

 

[Camdig]

Raccoons are neither rare or endangered. Why would a zoo on the Isle of Wight be keeping them in the first place ? Oh yes, to make money ! Why isn't Packham leading off about this ?

It's his partners zoo he won't be saying a word

 

[VSS]

They can swim. The article mentioned that they were females which should reassure us that they will not be able to breed, but Packham's only over in the New forest, so.....

Unless of course they're pregnant females. That could be interesting!

 

[timbrayford]

Not escapees from Packhams zoo

 

[SunnyDays]

Where the prize exhibit is the Great Gobbed Berk, which only comes out when cameras are present.

 

[Cootmeurer]

Go scorched earth, kill them all, then kill the carcasses some more.

As AB said, extremely intelligent and truly omnivorous. Nothing is inedible to them. But worse, in the Eastern US they are the primary vector of rabies. Several states have a “no release, kill when trapped” law on the books. When I was doing animal control work it was raccoons that wised up quickest and became problems faster than anything else.

 

[Moose67]

 

[SunnyDays]

Would they be covered by AOLQ?