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Video shows dozens of hungry raccoons surrounding Washington home
A woman fled and called 911 for help after nearly 100 hungry raccoons surrounded her Washington home, officials said in a video shared by the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.
The unnamed woman, who lives in Poulsbo, northwest of Seattle, had been feeding local raccoons for 35 years. She told deputies the situation escalated six weeks ago.
“The woman says the raccoons often surround her day and night demanding food,” the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office said. “And she says she’s been quoted prices as high as $500 per raccoon to trap and relocate them.”
Officials described it as a “raccoon invasion.” Deputies referred the woman to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. On its website, the Department of Fish and Wildlife warns people not to feed raccoons.
“Feeding raccoons may create undesirable situations for you, your children, neighbors, pets, and the raccoons themselves. Raccoons that are fed by people often lose their fear of humans and may become aggressive when not fed as expected,” according to the department. “Artificial feeding also tends to concentrate raccoons in a small area; overcrowding can spread diseases and parasites. Finally, these hungry visitors might approach a neighbor who doesn’t share your appreciation of the animals. The neighbor might choose to remove these raccoons, or have them removed.”
CBS News reached out to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to find out if officials there have heard from the Poulsbo woman.
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A teacher and student killed in a shooting earlier this week at a school in Madison, Wisconsin, were identified Wednesday by authorities.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release provided to CBS News that 42-year-old Erin West and 14-year-old Rubi Vergara were fatally shot Monday morning at Abundant Life Christian School.
Preliminary examinations determined the two died of “homicidal firearm related trauma.” Both were pronounced dead at the scene, the medical examiner said.
An online obituary on a local funeral site stated Vergara was a freshman who leaves behind her parents, one brother, and a large extended family. It described her as “an avid reader” who “loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.”
West’s exact position with the school was unclear.
The medical examiner also confirmed that a preliminary autopsy found that the suspected shooter, 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow — a student at the same school — was pronounced dead at a local hospital Monday of “firearm related trauma.” Madison Chief of Police Shon F. Barnes had previously told reporters that Rupnow was pronounced dead while being transported to a hospital.
Police had also previously stated that she was believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The shooting at the private Christian K-12 school was reported just before 11 a.m. Monday. In addition to the two people killed and the shooter, six others were wounded.
Police said the shooting occurred in a classroom where a study hall was taking place involving students from several grades.
A handgun was recovered after the shooting, Barnes said, but it was unclear where the gun came from or how many shots were fired. A law enforcement source said the weapon used in the shooting appears to have been a 9 mm pistol.
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