Is it global warming, is it more space, is it better food, changing ecosystems, who knows but raccoons are moving north. They are as adaptable as any species of mammal and are very capable of using what’s available. Raccoons greatest strengths is its skill at finding and digesting a wide variety of food, from hunting and killing other animals to eating schnitzel pizza pockets from the trash. Over the last couple years, Kamloops has seen a major surge in their raccoon population. Now, Prince George residents have reported seeing raccoons and with them all their talents of; dumpster diving to tearing apart garbage containers and emptying ponds of koi. Wildlife guides, maps from the Smithsonian, B.C. government and Canadian Geographic limit these masked bandits range in the province to Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, the Lower Mainland and parts of the Okanagan. The animals are now invading Calgary, Manitoba, Utah, Germany and Austria. The best advice regarding raccoons is to keep the wildlife wild. Don’t feed it and let nature take its course.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/delta-raccoons-heading-north-beyond-randy-bilesky?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-raccoons-heading-north-and-beyond-1.2348745