My Pet Raccoon

On the weekend I visited Oita's Park Place, a medium sized retail-entertainment complex located near the Big-Eye Stadium about 20 minutes from downtown Oita City. Amongst the many shops is a pet store that often stocks rather unusual pets.

Last year I was surprised to see a praire dog sitting in a cage. I had never considered prairie dogs to be pets but then I originally thought ferrets to be unusual companions. However, after taking care of my neighbours two ferrets for about a month, their idiosyncrocies and playfulness endeared them to me. Bear and Muffin were affectionate, loved to be held (as long as your nose wasn't too close to Bear's face) and would actually chase my sister and I around the yard. When the owners returned, they were amazed at the change; the sheen of their fur, their improved personalities.

My family also acquired a particularly unique bird from a friend. A Red Lorry, the bird had been a gift to my friend's father. Although Laurel, as she became known, had all her physcial needs met, she was largely ignored and placed in a cage distinctly lacking in distractions. Consequently, she occupied most of her time making lots of ungodly noises. After a few weeks and many tears shed, Laurel gradually began to warm to us and become an integral part of our family. The most endearing trait is her ability to speak. Combined with her intelligence, she can almost engage in a simple conversation. Approaching her cage elicits a "hello" while a wave of the hand initiates a "bye-bye". Opening a cupboard causes her to cry out for a delicious cookie while giving her a kiss makes her whisper, "I love you." And, when you try to ignore her, she will ask in the sweetest voice, "What'cha doing?"

However, on Saturday, I was in for a little bit of a shock. Sitting in a cage priced at approximately $2000 CDN, was a あらいぐま which literally translates into a washing bear. This raccoon looked distraught as it paced back and forth, making whimpering sounds and occassionally stretching his paws through the bars. For me, raccoons had always been wild animals that visited at night in search of food. A neighbour who was fond of all animals, would feed a family nightly for many years. Every evening, the family would make its pilgrimage to the neighbour's back door, mounting the fence and trapezing along the top until it reached her yard. The family, always traveling in a well disciplined single file followed their route so religiously that a path was gradually worn into the lawn. Although the raccoons would approach the house without fear, they were never friendly and shied away from any contact with humans.

Certainly, raccoons are charming looking animals. Their colouring, especially the black band that covers their eyes, gives them a unique appearance. Their ability to manipulate objects with their paws gives them an almost human quality. Most importantly, the fuzziness of their fur endows them with an undeniable cute, cuddly factor.

Looking at a couple of internet sites, it quickly becomes apparent that raccoons do not make wonderful pets. Most sites recommend liability insurance, and strongly warn against keeping raccoons in captivity. Other issues include 3 to 4 months a year of increased aggressiveness during mating season, being particularly sloppy eaters due to the need to dip their food in water, and the threat of obesity as they require a specialized diet and ample exercise. Given that most Japanese live in an urban setting and lead busy lives, I cannot envision a raccoon living a happy existence inside a home.

My only hope is the pet store strongly cautions potential customers of the dangers and challenges that owning a raccoon entails. However, given its prominent location at the front of the store, I fear that the store will sell the animal to anyone with the money and the desire to have a unique pet.