Raccoons are generally seen as a nuisance, so why are raccoons protected?

Raccoons are protected because they are needed to promote biodiversity. Raccoons have their place in the food chain and are essential to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Also, raccoons are protected because they are food to a number of prey animals and birds of prey including hawks, owls, snakes, wolves, cougars, coyotes, bobcats, and lynxes.

When you think of raccoons you may assume that these animals are in abundance, but this isn’t the case. Wild animal numbers of all types and species are in decline. The numbers are declining because of human activity and other factors which affect the population size. Certain animals are more endangered than others but all need to be protected, well-taken care off and bred. This is what present preservation programs do, as well as informing the public about endangered animals

Why are raccoons protected? 

One of the reasons why raccoons need to be protected is to promote biodiversity. Every plant and animal has its place in the food chain and is essential to maintain a healthy ecosystem. If you remove raccoons from the ecosystem you can be left with disastrous results.

Another reason why raccoons are protected is that raccoons are food to a number of prey animals and birds such as hawks, owls, humans, snakes, wolves, cougars, coyotes, bobcats, and lynxes. If raccoons were to be removed then the diet of these prey birds and animals would be altered in a negative way.

There are laws that protect raccoons but you can get a licence to kill, trap and hunt raccoons. In addition, you can also get a permit to own a pet raccoon. If you don’t have a license you can still get rid of a raccoon that damages your property. That being said, in some cases, killing a raccoon with gunshot or some sort of blunt object can result in criminal charges being placed against you

Are certain raccoons more protected?

The rarer the animal the more protection it will get. Albino or white raccoons are more protected because they are not as abundant in the wild.

In addition, predators prey on these lighter raccoons easier than the other types of animals because they are very easy to spot compared to the normal brown or black raccoons.

White or albino raccoons are usually sent to zoos or wildlife shelters for protection. Keeping them in zoos gives them the ability to reproduce without the fear of quickly getting killed by a prey animal.

Can you get in trouble for killing a raccoon?

It depends on the circumstancesand jurisdictions. In certain circumstances and jurisdictions it is legal and lawful to kill raccoons, in other jurisdictions, it is not legal and you will get in trouble no matter the circumstances.

In other states, you can kill raccoons freely and with no consequence. In fact, in some states raccoon hunting is a state-sanctioned religious activity whereas in other states you can face a fine and be charged with animal cruelty and possession of a deadly weapon. States, where it is illegal to kill a raccoon, include Washington DC, but you can trap an animal here if it does not result in injury

Summary 

In summary, raccoons are protected because they play a part in the biodiversity of earth, they are an integral part of the ecosystem and without them, certain prey animals would have limited diet options.

Rarer raccoons are more protected because they are few and far between. In certain states in the US, there are laws against the killing of raccoons and in other states, it is perfectly legal

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other raccoon related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: why do raccoons tear up lawns, how do raccoons find food, why are raccoons different colours, what do urban raccoons eat, why are raccoons nocturnal,