Abstract

Come hear the ugly truth about raccoons, or why you shouldn’t feed them, even the friendly raccoon in your backyard. Due to their successful adaptation to urban environments, raccoons frequently come into contact with humans, but they can carry many diseases that present significant health hazards to both people and pets. This talk introduces health hazards associated with raccoons, both for humans and pets, and describes the most important raccoon-borne viruses, bacteria, and parasites.