Although raccoons are scared of human beings, at times they pretend to be bold. When it sees a man, the natural response of a raccoon is to stop its movement and stare at you. From inside it may be still scared of you, but it will wait for you to make the next move and then act accordingly.
What To Do If A Raccoon Approaches You?
Normally a raccoon will not approach you. But if it does, do not look into the eyes of the raccoon. Try to walk away slowly from the spot and take cover into the nearest building. While you are walking away from the raccoon, try to make yourself appear bigger in size. It is highly recommended not to attack the raccoon unless it attacks you first.
What To Do If A Raccoon Has Come Too Close To You?
If by any chance you happen to come too close to a raccoon, it is recommended that you follow these steps:
Firstly, stand up and try to make yourself appear as big as possible.
Secondly, wave your arms into the air and make some loud noise.
Thirdly, if the raccoon still does not go away and approaches you, pick up stones or pieces of bricks from the road and throw them at it.
How Can You Protect Yourself From Racoons?
In order to save yourself from the raccoons, you can wear thick clothes or gloves. It will save your skin from the scratches and bites of raccoons. You can also put on a mask to save your face. Thick boots are also recommended for your feet. Do not try to corner the raccoon. Your only aim is to drive it away. So do not do anything unnecessarily to get into a fight with it.
How Can You Protect Yourself Using Scents?
The smell sense of the raccoons is very strong. They use this sense of smell in order to search for their food. Raccoons also dislike many scents and they will never go close to these smells. So, these scents can be used as a protective measure to keep away the raccoons. Some of the scents which can be used for repelling them are garlic, hot pepper, onion Epsom salt, and peppermint oil.
How Can You Protect Yourself Using Sounds?
There are certain types of sounds and noises that the raccoon hates. Over the years people have used these sounds to drive them away. A few examples are firecrackers, banging of pots, and shouting of man. Raccoons also hate the sound of wind chimes, the sounds of communication made by the other animals, and the sound of radios mimicking human voices.
Final Words
Raccoons prefer not to come close to humans. They can attack you only under two circumstances. The first condition is if they are ill and the second one is if they are frightened. If a raccoon attacks you, it can cause severe injury to you. Apart from the injury that they can inflict by scratching and biting, a raccoon can also transmit a number of serious diseases to a man like rabies.
