Raccoons in Abaco, raccoons in Eleuthera, where next? Are they taking over the world? Don’t sound the sirens just yet, but their recent introduction to the two islands in the Bahamas is having very tangible effects.
Farmers tell tales of watermelon crops chewed from the inside out by gorging raccoons. Raccoon souse has been hinted to be on some menus, and one Gregory Town, Eleuthera, native is saving the skins of the raccoons he traps. Will raccoon hats soon become a fashion statement? Land crabs, which once scurried by the dozens across the Eleuthera Island Shores subdivision, have all but disappeared. Are raccoons to blame, and just where did they come from and what does it mean for our island?
Samuel I. Zeveloff, a zoology professor and author of the book Raccoons: A Natural History says raccoons “may well be one of the world’s most omnivorous animals.” Numerous eyewitnesses describe seeing raccoons climbing up agave flower stems to eat nectar. Eleuthera’s land crabs, whose main predator previously was herons and other birds, will have to adjust to this new dexterous mammal or vanish. Feral cats and roaming dogs cannot hunt land crabs the way raccoons, an intelligent and nocturnal hunter, can. Raccoons compete with birds for berries and nectar, and also eat bird eggs and birds themselves, so expect to see fewer birds.
Our bird population has long dealt with cats, so hopefully they can adjust.
Birds that nest here and lay eggs on or near the ground, such as nighthawks, terns and herons, will feel the impact of the raccoon introduction, and turtle nests will not be immune. Abaco also has the endangered Bahama Parrot, which nests in limestone holes in the ground.
Epicentre
A Gregory Town local, who is widely pointed at for bringing raccoons to Eleuthera, said it began approximately 12 years ago when four animals escaped from a cage his neighbour kept. He was not sure of their origin, but a good guess is they came from New Providence. The mammal, according to most sources, was introduced to that island sometime in the late 1700’s. With the loyalist wave of immigration, it would not be surprising for such an adaptable animal to have stowed away aboard a ship bound for our shores, or even brought here on purpose, as it was valued for its fur.
The area immediately north and south of Gregory Town seems to be the epicentre for raccoons in Eleuthera. An Eleuthera Island Shores resident has found two dead raccoons in cisterns, and one woman tells of her dog dragging a small raccoon from the bush and killing it. Raccoon tracks are seen down at Surfer’s Beach frequently, and the seashore environment with its caves (for shelter) and beach and tidal pools (for foraging) suits these animals perfectly. Numerous raccoons are seen dead on the road in the area north of Gregory Town, and numerous sightings are reported at Whale Point.
While things like a lack of fresh water sources and roaming dogs will slow their advance, expect to see raccoons in a town near you soon. Their scat has been found in the Hatchet Bay Farms area. With abundant wild food sources and crops in the area they may not be in a hurry to push south. However, a Palmetto Point farmer says raccoons appeared there about four years ago, and reports from Bluff Settlement put raccoons at least that far north.
Embrace or Eradicate
The government’s official stance is to eradicate this beast, as the latest research says it is not a unique species to the Bahamas, but only an introduced one. But some unique characteristics have evolved, and the Bahama Raccoon is generally smaller and more lightly colored than those found in North America. Traps are supplied for farmers by the government and hundreds have been trapped. What about a hunting season for raccoon? Would this be a new cultural aspect of our island? Should raccoon be embraced as a native dish? It’s compared to mutton, but it’s reputedly a ‘gamey’ meat at best; maybe raccoon chowder is in our future. For a region that has lost up to 90 percent of its original terrestrial mammals since the Lucayans, and then the Spaniards, landed, maybe such an animal could be valuable.
Humane Trapping
Tales of farmers leaving raccoons in traps to die of exposure to the elements have filtered in. This is not right; if not quite a noble animal, the raccoon is definitely an intelligent, endearing one that deserves a humane end. I witnessed one method of lowering the trap, with a raccoon still inside, into the ocean until the animal had drowned to death. It seems like one of the more humane methods and the pelt remains intact and unharmed, as does the meat. Trapping and releasing is also controversial, because it may speed up the animal’s spread throughout the island. This may be the reason the animals are in Palmetto Point.
So while their introduction here remains controversial, and they are undoubtedly a crop pest and a threat to indigenous species, only an expensive and organized eradication program could hope to stop them.
Get to know Eleuthera’s newest mammal, welcome it, or not.
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