Hillside residents find unlikely neighbors in raccoons
By RYAN HANSON
DCN Reporter
A raccoon lives on 10th Avenue E. and Eighth St.
Well, actually, it might be more like three raccoons.
“I think three of them live on the one block,� said Colleen O’Hagan, who lives on 10th Avenue. “One of them is a big one.�
While the three don’t cause too many problems for residents, O’Hagan said they occasionally notice the aftermath of a late night snack made by the trio.
“Our garbage probably gets hit once or twice a week,� said O’Hagan. “And typically in the dead of the night.�
With all of the easy meals, it’s no wonder that the raccoons don’t leave. Lindsay Ostman, O’Hagan’s roommate, has seen the larger of the three many times.
“He’s so big that he waddles through our yard and into our neighbor’s [yard],� said Ostman.
With a laugh, O’Hagan adds, “I’m really confident I could outrun the fat one.�
“We have more of a problem with it in the summer,� adds Ostman. “My boyfriend lives on 10th and Sixth, and they have had a real problem with raccoons.�
O’Hagan believes that the group of raccoons might be sticking together for a reason.
“I think the group might be a family,� said O’Hagan.
Earl Sullivan, the owner of Eighth Street Video on Ninth Street, acknowledges that there can sometimes be an animal control problem in the neighborhood, but for him it's typically not raccoons.
“I’ve never seen a raccoon around here,� said Sullivan. “But, I’ve seen a bunch of skunks.�
A few years ago, Sullivan said, a neighbor had a problem with a mother skunk and her babies hanging around her house. The group was eventually picked up by animal control, but that was before the group decided to go for a stroll. One day, the group of skunks decided to walk straight down the sidewalk.
“People on the street,� said Sullivan with a chuckle, “stopped their cars and started talking pictures.�