by Marci Piltz
Record-Courier Reporter
At 8:40 a.m. May 1, Ravenna police received a report of a sick-looking raccoon walking down the sidewalk near Cleveland Avenue and North Diamond Street.
The first sign that something was wrong with the raccoon was its very presence on the sidewalk at that time of day.
"Anytime you see a raccoon out in the daytime, it's a good indication it might be ill," said Ravenna Health Commissioner Lynette Blasiman.
"Certainly, anytime you have any wild animal like that, especially one that is acting sluggish or odd, authorities should be notified so the animal can be taken to the county health department for testing."
Since March 3, Ravenna police have received nearly a dozen reports of raccoons out in the daytime and suspected of being ill. Five of the animals were shot and killed by responding officers, then sent to the Portage County Health Department.
Loyd Groves, environmental health director for the county health department, said eight samples from dead raccoons have been sent to the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus for rabies testing.
Six tested negative. Results have not been received on the other two samples, he said.
Groves said there are two reasons to test raccoons: If they are observed acting ill or suspiciously, or if they have come in contact with a person or pet.
OF THE animals sent for testing so far, Groves said six raccoons -- five from Ravenna and one from Shalersville -- and one skunk from Suffield have been sent after they were observed displaying odd behavior.
Two raccoons from Ravenna and Hiram townships, along with one skunk from Ravenna and one opossum from Atwater were sent for testing after having contact with a person or pet.
Groves also said the ODH program does not test for other diseases such as distemper, so it is unknown what made the tested animals sick.
Ravenna Police Chief Randy McCoy said while the number of calls for sick raccoons in the city is up slightly from this time last year, it's not an "alarming number compared to other years."
"This time of year, it tends to be more frequent that we get calls about animals such as raccoons, squirrels or skunks," McCoy said.
"Animals that aren't sick will try to get away from humans. If they are out when they shouldn't be they're probably just hungry and looking for food. Animals that are sick will be sluggish and won't be afraid of humans."
McCoy said police will euthanize ill animals and sometimes send them to the health department for testing.
HOWEVER, he said, residents who simply find the animals to be a nuisance usually have to deal with the problem on their own.
"The city no longer appropriates money for trapping critters such as raccoons or groundhogs, so it's the responsibility of the property owners to contact a trapper if they have a problem," said Ravenna Service Director Don Kainrad.
"Previously, the city had a line item in the health department budget to take care of nuisance trapping. However, it's been a number of years since we did that. When the city made cutbacks and lay-offs, that is one of the programs that was removed."
The city health department provides a list of certified trappers to property owners who call and request help, Blasiman said.
Trapping the animals yourself is not recommended. "Public health officials never encourage anyone to handle wildlife, especially if the animal is acting suspicious," she said.
Even if it isn't acting strange, trapping and releasing the animal elsewhere is not recommended because it may contribute to the spread of diseases such as rabies.
Residents can try to avoid raccoons becoming a nuisance by removing any food or water supplies from outdoors, using locking lids on trash cans or putting the cans in an enclosed area until trash night.
The animals may also be scared off by devices such as radios, bright lights, plastic streamers or aluminum pie pans.
E-mail: mpiltz@recordpub.com
Telephone: 330-296-9657