GALVESTON, Texas – They’re cute, they’re curious and they’re all over the east end of the Galveston Seawall — but officials are asking visitors to resist the urge to feed them: raccoons.
KPRC 2’s Bill Barajas spoke with an animal control officer who was on the Seawall Tuesday and counted 21 raccoons in the area.
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Officials said raccoons may look friendly, but they’re wild animals that can turn aggressive — and they can carry rabies. Animal control says feeding them is a major reason the problem is growing: raccoons are nocturnal and typically shouldn’t be active during the day, but they’re increasingly showing up in daylight because they’ve become conditioned to people giving them food.
So far, officials said seven people have been bitten. Those individuals were encouraged to seek medical care and begin rabies treatment as a precaution. Health officials note the rabies shots are now given in the arm — not the stomach — but the series can still be painful, time-consuming and expensive.
Animal control has posted signs along the Seawall telling visitors not to feed wildlife. In the past, officials have tried capturing raccoons and releasing them elsewhere, but they said that approach didn’t work. Now, the focus is on educating the public to stop encouraging the animals to approach people.
And while officials are asking for cooperation, animal control said there’s little enforcement behind it: Galveston isn’t set up to issue tickets or citations to people who feed the raccoons — meaning the best solution is simply visitors choosing not to do it.
Officials said the safest approach is to enjoy wildlife from a distance, keep food put away, and never attempt to hand-feed raccoons or other animals.