Raccoon population on the rise in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS – While your best bet to see a raccoon in Kamloops is still at the BC Wildlife Park, experts say raccoon populations are growing and sightings of ‘trash pandas’ are on the rise in the Tournament Capitial.

Karl Larsen, a Thompson Rivers University professor specializing in wildlife ecology and management, expects evidence of these opportunistic mammals to become a common sight in Kamloops.

“They’ve been here for a couple decades, I would say maybe longer,” Larsen told CFJC News. “Their numbers are still very low, but I would suspect not for long.”

According to Larsen, raccoon populations have been relatively low in Kamloops, as the animals established themselves and may have struggled to find mates in the area.

“Then, all of the sudden, they hit some threshold and it’s easier to mate and all of a sudden, boom, the population starts growing very fast and depends on the animal, of course,” he explained. “But raccoons are capable of producing a fair number of kits in a year.”

Raccoons are native to North America, so they are not considered an invasive species. However, populations that used to be confined to the coastal areas of the province have been expanding their range.

The BC Wildlife Park has seen an uptick in calls about raccoon sightings over the last few years.

“Raccoons are definitely on the incline here,” said Animal Care Manager Tracy Reynolds. “I know of raccoon sightings in the area – I’m not sure how long they’ve been in the area, but certainly a long time. They’re definitely on the rise.”

While the movement of raccoons to the area is somewhat natural, Larsen says the expanded range can be traced back to multiple factors, including urbanization and climate change.

Zach Johnson is a recent graduate from TRU’s Natural Resource Sciences program. As his graduating project, Johnson explored the expansion of raccoons to the Interior.

“I like to call them neo-natives because their range is expanding so much and we don’t really see that in a lot of other species,” said Johnson, explaining how he decided on raccoons. “Essentially what the neo-native species was, it’s a species that’s able to expand their range so much through like human-modified environments.”

Known as opportunistic omnivores, garbage cans, pet food, even chicken coops can attract raccoons.

“They’re very cute and all that. But they do carry a few diseases and worms and things like that you really do not want to get,” said Reynolds. “You want to make sure you’re not having those guys in your backyard or encouraging them to be there. They are wild animals and they can be quite aggressive.”

Though commonly seen as pests, raccoons are protected by the BC Wildlife Act. Residents are encouraged to reduce attractants around the home and report any sightings before calling a professional.