Raccoons rip dog's eye out and injure owner in vicious Kitsilano attack (PHOTO)
Editor’s note: This article contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers. Daily Hive has also made the editorial decision to blur an image in this article.
A Kitsilano resident is speaking out about a frightening raccoon attack that left him wounded and gave his dog life-altering injuries.
Jake Moss tells Daily Hive he’s used to seeing some wildlife around his home, but has never encountered an animal as aggressive as this — and he thinks there may be a greater problem he and his neighbours are facing.
Moss was walking with his dog, Pingu, on Thursday night when he heard a strange sound near his home. Moss turned to look and saw a pair of raccoons “crouching motionless in the bushes” about five feet away.
Before he could pick up his dog, “they just pounced at him,” and a struggle ensued.
Moss said he tried to peel and kick the raccoons off of Pingu several times, but they’d lunge back on. He said one raccoon bit his ankle while he tried to help his dog.
“I just thought, ‘This is it.’ I’ve seen a rabid raccoon, for sure. I’ve never seen them act like this.”
Moss said at one point, a raccoon seemed to try and bite Pingu’s neck, but his dog twisted around, and the raccoon bit his eye instead.
“I started screaming for help… I managed to peel that raccoon off my dog, and I just saw blood everywhere.
“To me, it looked like half of his face had been peeled off,” he told Daily Hive. “When I peel them off, [the raccoon] was wet with my dog’s blood.”
The raccoon still pursued and continued to attack Moss and Pingu.
While Moss tried to fight off a raccoon, he said, “I was distracted, and a third raccoon came out of the bushes and snatched my dog, dragged him into the bushes… a few feet [away].”
Once again, Moss was able to pick up his dog, and the raccoons continued to attack — one even started climbing up his leg, he said.
After trying to escape the raccoons, he said, “They just disappeared as quickly as they came.”
Moss said he pleaded for help and met his neighbour, who was able to drive him and his dog to an animal clinic.
Moss then realized his dog’s eyeball was hanging out.
Pingu lost an eye in the attack and underwent surgery.
Photo submitted by Jake Moss
Moss’s neighbour also drove him to Vancouver General Hospital.
The Kitsilano resident is now on antibiotics, received a tetanus shot and said he has limited mobility and pain in his right hand.
Moss did not receive a rabies vaccine as doctors told him there’s no risk of rabies in raccoons in the province.
According to the SPCA, raccoons are not dangerous to people and don’t carry rabies in BC, “so this is not a risk to you or your pets.”
“If a raccoon approaches you, yell, stamp your feet, clap your hands, and make noise to scare the raccoon away. This may feel silly, but it is the best way to keep raccoons safe from people,” the SPCA site reads.
Not the first neighbourhood attack
After the attack, Moss learned he was not alone and another neighbour was attacked in the same areas earlier in the day.
Following the incident, Moss said he is more alert and is concerned someone in the neighbourhood is feeding the raccoons.
Moss has contacted the City of Vancouver and the province in search of a solution but said he feels there haven’t been solutions provided.
In an email statement to Daily Hive, the City confirmed, “There is an investigation into wildlife feeding at 2090 West 1st Avenue.” However, because it is an active case, the City is not able to comment further.
According to the SPCA, feeding and leaving garbage or pet food for raccoons can decrease their fear of humans, causing them to possibly become aggressive toward food or injured pets.
The City added raccoons fall outside of the City’s regulations as they are protected under the Provincial Wildlife Act.
There is an animal control bylaw, which the City of Vancouver’s Animal Control Officers are responsible for enforcing.
The City explained that the bylaw prohibits wildlife feeding anywhere in Vancouver.
“When investigating complaints related to feeding of wildlife, we help to educate citizens on who to call and how to best interact with wildlife,” the City added.
BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) said it recently received several calls regarding aggressive raccoons in the Vancouver area.
“The COS protects the public from dangerous wildlife, as outlined in the BC Wildlife Act; this includes bears, cougars, coyotes, and wolves. Raccoons are outside the COS mandate,” it explained. “When notified about raccoons, Conservation Officers suggest the public contact pest control companies and private trappers.”
Moss said Pingu is recovering and doing much better. He is focused on ensuring his pet is happy but is also searching for a solution to the raccoon issue in the neighbourhood.
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