Neighbours kick at couple feeding raccoons
A couple is annoying their neighbours by feeding raccoons, skunks and other animals on their property in Rivière-des-Prairies. They’ve been fined and issued mises en demeure but they go on doing it. It’s a bit of a story about how people can flout the law over time, and get away with it.
Sprocket 11:26 on 2023-09-03 Permalink
This boggles my mind. Evangelical obligation? WTF?
Kate 11:29 on 2023-09-03 Permalink
People sometimes have individual interpretations of religious scriptures…
steph 11:42 on 2023-09-03 Permalink
Keep fining them. Every day.
Blork 12:31 on 2023-09-03 Permalink
Not directly related but sort of… I was heading down Papineau across from Parc Lafontaine one afternoon a few weeks ago and I saw a couple standing there on the sidewalk. One of them was holding a raccoon in his arms as if it were a child or a puppy. The other had two kitten-sized raccoons clinging to her shoulders. I’m like… oh, so cute, but FFS these are wild animals. Leave them be!
Andrew 14:24 on 2023-09-03 Permalink
There was a guy in Westmount who called himself an extreme animal lover, he’d dump bags of peanuts out for the squirrels. It went on for like 10 years with fines, injunctions and Westmount started tailing him with plain clothes security officers. He counter sued and almost made it to the supreme court.
Chris 14:48 on 2023-09-03 Permalink
People in my hood are constantly leaving food out for squirrels and birds. I once saw a lady doing it and talked to her, told her it was against bylaws, how it’s ultimately bad for the animals, also feeds rats, etc. etc. but she did not care. It was quite like she was on a religious mission.
Uatu 15:10 on 2023-09-03 Permalink
Here’s some fun stuff you can contract while playing with your raccoon friends: Lyme disease, rabies, roundworms from the feces, Giardiasis a microscopic protazoal infection, Leptospira species (a bacterial infection), other bacterial diseases (such as Salmonella or E. Coli), fungus and rare parasites. These irresponsible wild animal lovers are one scratch away from the ER.
Tim S. 20:25 on 2023-09-03 Permalink
Roundworms, eh? Wish me luck as I spend Labour Day cleaning various deposits off my back balcony.
Kate 12:07 on 2023-09-04 Permalink
Is feeding birds in the same nuisance (and bad for the species) category as feeding invasive mammals?
EG 14:03 on 2023-09-04 Permalink
I’d like to feed birds, but it’s hard not to also attract squirrels, which we don’t want because they sometimes nest in our roof.
Blork 17:54 on 2023-09-04 Permalink
Kate, some people are of the opinion that feeding birds is also bad for the species, etc., although I’ve not seen any clear explanation of WHY other than the standard “let nature take care of itself” argument. I confess this has not stopped me from feeding birds in the park in winter. There’s something very special about having chickadees and nuthatches land on your hand and pick out seeds to eat.
jeather 10:49 on 2023-09-05 Permalink
I tried feeding birds until one of the cats brought a dead one (I suspect one that flew into the glass door and stunned itself so it fell onto the balcony) into my bedroom. She really loves feathered toys.
dhomas 17:31 on 2023-09-05 Permalink
Do I need to take down my cardinal feeder? I have a feeder made with a counterweight that only opens for cardinals (this one: https://www.mondou.com/en-CA/unique-cardinal-feeder-1004142.html). I put feed that attracts cardinals which includes safflower, which is supposed to deter squirrels, but they still try to get to it. The only way the squirrels have successfully gotten to the seed is by making the feeder fall off its hook, smashing it (I got a new one). I’m usually of the opinion that we should “let nature take care of itself”, as Blork mentioned, but we’re well beyond that with how we’ve changed the habitiat for countless species. But I’m curious if bird feeders are “against the rules”.
carswell 18:03 on 2023-09-05 Permalink
Not an ornithologist though I do hang with a few serious birders. As I understand it, feeding songbirds isn’t frowned upon by most experts but there are some things to be aware of. Feeders cause birds to congregate, which can make them prone to predation; counter this by providing nearby shelter and belling cats or keeping them away. Since birds defecate indiscriminately, feeders and especially the seeds on the ground under them, can be a vector for disease, so hygiene is important. And, though this is probably less of a concern in the city, where there are lots of other feeders, birds come to rely on feeders for sustenance, so keeping the feeder filled is essential, especially in the winter.
Nuisance birds — gulls, Canada geese, etc. — shouldn’t be fed.