The number of raccoons in Queen Anne is growing almost as fast as home prices are rising in the neighborhood, and one man is taking action. The man, who lives on Ninth Avenue West near West McGraw Street, declined to speak to the News following an initial appointment this reporter missed.But before declining to speak, the man claimed in a phone call that he'd seen 14 of them at one time and said that he's using a company called Critter Control to trap and kill the animals. He's not the only one who's seen the raccoons, said Danielle Brown, the man's next-door neighbor. "I have seen raccoons both at my neighbor's house and walking around the neighborhood with my dog," she said. "I've seen moms and babies and big ones." They seem to have shown up suddenly last spring and this summer, Brown added. "Before, I'd never seen any."Mike Mead, who owns Critter Control with his wife, Karen Awrylo, has also seen a spurt in the raccoon population in his coverage areas of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. The company has been trapping an average of 800 raccoons a year for the past three years, he said. Four years ago, it was 300 to 400, Mead said. "It's out of control. The population has just gone crazy."He blames the ban on trapping enacted by Initiative 713 for part of the growth, but Mead also points to housing growth in former forests and open space as another reason. "Animals are getting displaced."Don Jordan, director of Seattle Animal Control has another theory. He thinks the milder winters Seattle has experience for several years is a reason behind the growth. "In the last five years, there has been an increase in the numbers of complaints about raccoons and coyotes," Jordan added. The fourteen the Queen Anne man saw is nothing, he added. Jordan estimates there are probably 14,000 of the animals living in Queen Anne.Animal Control, however, is not involved in trapping animals, he explained. "Our only involvement is when they become injured or sick or deceased." The state deals with nuisance animals such as raccoons with licensed trappers, and they have to follow strict guidelines. "Once they're trapped, they have to be euthanized," Jordan said. Acceptable methods include blunt-force trauma or a shot in the head, he said. Drowning is not one of the acceptable methods, Jordan stressed. Mead uses a CO2 tank, he said. "A lot of people don't like that and want them to be released." That includes Brown. " I think it's really unfortunate that that's what they do," Brown said.Critter Control's services are not cheap. The average cost is $200 to $250 per animal, he said. The price includes inspecting the property, furnishing and baiting the trap and disposing of the raccoon, he said. Mead uses scent lures that smell like bugs, grubs and fish or sometimes a can of tuna. "But then you're going to catch cats," he said of the last lure.Raccoons are smart animals, and that can present a problem, according to Mead. "Sometimes you get wily raccoons that are hard to catch." Crafty animals aside, it's peak season at Critter Control. "I got one guy right now I trapped 12 raccoons for," he said of one example.Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at rzabel@nwlink.com or 461-1309.[[In-content Ad]]
