Wildlife officials plan to trap and kill a raccoon that’s been hanging out in the Banff townsite because it’s a non-native species in Banff National Park.
There have been at least two confirmed sightings of the raccoon, the latest on Oct. 14 in the Valleyview residential neighbourhood. There was one other sighting over summer.
Parks Canada officials say the province of Alberta does not allow the rehabilitation or release of raccoons and, despite efforts, Parks has been unsuccessful in finding it a home.
Bill Hunt, resource conservation manager for Banff National Park, said the animal will be captured and destroyed because non-native species can have significant effects on ecological integrity.
“Whether it’s a plant species or an aquatic species, when you get non-native species establishing themselves, they can destroy natural food webs and processes,” he said. “We’ll be treating this as a non-native species for removal.”
Alberta’s raccoon population has traditionally lived for the most part in the province’s southeast. However, in recent years, raccoon territory has expanded to include central Alberta.
It’s hard to say how the raccoon made its way to Banff, but Hunt said one theory is it hitchhiked a ride on a commercial transport truck or train.
“It’s difficult to speculate,” he said. “Typically, these are one-offs and a bit of a hitchhiking situation.”
Like bears, raccoons spend the warmer months fattening up for winter dormancy. Though not true hibernators, raccoons still become inactive enough to lose up to half of their body weight.
Raccoons are omnivores that can easily adapt to whatever food sources are available.
In the wild, raccoons feed on fruits, nuts, berries and insects, and foods that can be found near water such as fish, birds, eggs and frogs.
But closer to human development, raccoons will eat whatever they can find, such as garbage, compost, bird seed or pet food.
Raccoons are nocturnal, though they may also roam in the day. They make their dens in culverts, attics, chimneys, outbuildings, tree hollows, barns, abandoned buildings or rock crevices.
Hunt said there was initial an unconfirmed sighting of a raccoon several weeks ago.
“At first, we thought they were mistaken, but it has since been confirmed it is a raccoon,” he said.
