Raccoons are found throughout all areas of the United States, with the exception of high elevations in mountainous regions and some areas of the arid Southwest. Raccoons prefer hardwood forest areas near water. Although commonly found in association with water and trees, raccoons occur in many areas of the western United States around farmsteads and livestock watering areas, far from naturally occurring bodies of permanent water. Raccoons den in hollow trees, ground burrows, brush piles, muskrat houses, barns and abandoned buildings, dense clumps of cattail, haystacks, or rock crevices.
Raccoons cause damage in a stunning variety of ways. They occasionally kill poultry and destroy bird nests, cause crop damage to everything from corn to watermelon, raid garbage in search of food, and roll up freshly laid sod in search of earthworms and grubs. In many urban and suburban areas, raccoons are learning that uncapped chimneys make good substitutes for den sites, particularly in the spring mating season.
Raccoons have recently been identified as the major wildlife host of rabies in the United States, primarily due to increased prevalence in the eastern U.S. The overall incidence of reported rabies in raccoons and other wildlife have increased dramatically over the past 30 years. In Colorado, the primary reservoir for rabies is the bat and instances of rabies among other wild and domestic animals are rare. The last reported case of raccoon rabies occurred in Colorado in 1963.
For information on managing conflicts with raccoons, see the following:
Raccoons: Damage Prevention and Control Methods
Urban Wildlife Rescue: Raccoons
Raccoons: Mammals Guide
Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage
For more information on rabies and other wildlife related diseases:
Wildlife Diseases
