‘Wanted’ raccoon rounded up in West Bay

| 02/11/2021 | 36 Comments

(CNS): A raccoon that spent ten days on the run on Grand Cayman was captured Tuesday after it was spotted by a local bus driver across the street from Foster’s Republix in West Bay, which is where it had escaped from, having stowed away in a shipping container from Miami. A second raccoon had been captured right away after the pair of wild animals ran out of the container when it was opened.

However, the animal that escaped became the subject of numerous memes and supposed ‘sightings’. From the press briefing to the Kimpton, the striped-tailed, bandit-masked animal popped up all over the place over the last ten days.

But although its unexpected arrival generated some comedy, there were concerns because raccoons can carry disease, including rabies, and catching it was a priority for the Department of Agriculture (DoA) and the Department of Environment.

“In responding to a tip from a bus driver, five DoA team members from animal welfare, animal control and the Veterinary Services Unit attended the area where the animal was spotted and captured it,” DoA Assistant Director Brian Crichlow said in a release from the Ministry of Agriculture.

“The team at DoA and all the agencies involved in the search are relieved that the animal has been caught. We are grateful to the bus driver who saw the animal, stopped his bus, reported it and waited until our team arrived. His quick actions were integral in us capturing the animal.”

Officials also said that samples from the first captured raccoon, which was euthanized shortly after it was trapped, were sent to the United States for testing and full results are pending. It is expected that the second racoon will also be euthanized.


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Category: Science & Nature

Comments (36)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Rest in peace, little guy. See you on the Rainbow Bridge to Heaven.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Should have kept them alive, has them spayed and neutered.

    They are efficient chicken and rooster hunters.

  3. Anonymous says:

    He was on the run longer than Manderson his first time. Will Stevie Racoon follow suit with a second escape?

  4. Anonymous says:

    Smh … do you have to kill them to test them ???

    • Anonymous says:

      11:42 Yes. Una want rabies or your pets getting rabies? These aren’t fluffy little creatures they are invasive and vicious.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Is he standing for election?

  6. Anonymous says:

    So let me see. An animal who does not belong here is captured and killed. Seems like the Cayman Islands likes to cull any species that is not native here.
    Good thing this same policy is not applied to people – these islands would be nearly empty.
    Just saying, think about it.
    Not an animal lover, but couldn’t we have sent it back to the glory land up North – nope just easy to kill it.

    • Native Local and a proud nationalist says:

      Whomever you are wherever you’re from I suggest you keep your slimy ideologies to yourself and respect the Country you’re in that’s making you the kinda life you can’t have anywhere else! Native Caymanians have been the most tolerant people in the world to allow foreigners dictate policy and culture to them! If you or anyone else don’t like Natives way if life they’ll appreciate you traveling back to a country you can handle much better. Fir you to compare A Raccon to people is preposterous and down right irresponsible! Get out while you can!

      • Anonymous says:

        I strongly disagree with your statement of how ‘tolerant’ ‘Native Caymanians’ have been.

        I do agree that every effort to eliminate/reduce non-native plants/animals is prudent.

      • Anonymous says:

        Says the “most tolerant” of the Caymanian people… Look into the mirror of delusion breaking and you might catch yourself and your fellow Caymanians showing your true colors. I see it in your comments and posts pretty regularly on this forum.

        Many Caymanians are wonderful examples of good humans… I don’t think you are among them.

      • Anonymous says:

        Really?!

    • Anonymous says:

      03@5:34 am. Quickly before they euthanize the raccoon! Ask DoA for you to take it, then you try to send it back into the USA. Let us know how that works! Moron!

      What else do you propose they do with an animal which can carry rabies and has no purpose to anyone but rednecks?!

      Oh. sorry, perhaps they should have kept the pair and released them on Mt. Trashmore – save the Govt. all the $$$ for remediation. Why didn’t you suggest that option?

    • Anonymous says:

      Based on our record with the nutters protecting the killer cats in Little Cayman who are wiping out the endemic wildlife, Agriculture Department had to move fast before we had Raccoon Friends establish their NPO.

    • Anonymous says:

      The US will not take them back because they have strict rules on animals exposed to foreign elements being introduced or re-introduced into their country. If they picked up any disease here the US will not allow them to go back into the wild.

  7. Policia says:

    He turned himself in as he was reported to be armed and dangerous. Kudos

  8. Anonymous says:

    What is going to happen to them? Please just neuter them and let them live.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Bus driver snitch.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Streets of West Bay never been cleaner.

  11. Anonymous says:

    #freericky.

  12. Anonymous says:

    This bug took advantage of Cayman kindness and like any expat or foreigner who dares evading vaccination and the law of the land, this cricket needs to be incarcerated, expelled from the country and all its belongings taken, then the law would have been served, just saying.

  13. Anonymous says:

    An innocent animal liked to assuage unfounded fears., who would be more effective than DEH and stratas to clean up the roadside trash with zero complaints. Avenge the raccoon!!!!!

  14. Anonymous says:

    Check the deli soup specials carefully tomorrow.

    • Anonymous says:

      They taste just like chicken…Checkout the special at Popeye’s

    • Anonymous says:

      Nah. Caymanians would rather eat endangered delicacies like turtle or illegally caught conch and lobster.

      Like in the olden days when food was scarce and sea life was plentiful.

  15. Anonymous says:

    Will a national holiday be declared when Premier Panton gets back?

    We deserve a holiday in November.

  16. Anonymous says:

    Can we now crack down on all the digs who owners leave off leashes on the beach, running up to people like it’s ok to have some dog freely roaming the beach? And cull the wild cats and dogs all over the island,

    • Anonymous says:

      Agreed. Who likes some unknown animal they have never seen before to come up to them and lick them. Ever heard of corona viruses!

      • Anonymous says:

        My pit bull watches FOX and says he’s immune because he got neutered like all good GOP mutts.

    • Anonymous says:

      6:20 Are we actually talking about real dogs here? 😂

    • Anonymous says:

      There’s already a $2000 fine for any pet left off-leash and out of control in the Cayman Islands. Another $2000 if it craps when owner isn’t looking, or fails to recover and dispose of properly. Bigger fines if it attacks another pet or person. That covers the beach too. If the RCIPS really aspire to be rightwing religious Quakers, they should start re-paying their public-funded electric beach ATV toys with some easy Sunday public-service ticketing. Also known as “their job”. There are whole libraries of gazetted offences that they are sadly unfamiliar with.

  17. Anonymous says:

    The end of an Era.

    • Anonymous says:

      To 03/11/2021 at 2:58am: Per the article, one was already euthanized and the second is likely to follow.

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