The Nottinghamshire raccoon

[brooksburns]

1846.  On Thursday morning, a raccoon, of an unusually large size, was discovered in the hen-roost of Mr. Clark, farmer, at Watnall, near Nottingham.  On examination, it was found that the intruder had made a meal of two game-cocks, five fowls, and one duck.

SO MANY QUESTIONS.

[Erato]

Well, a big one can weigh 50 lbs and if he was hungry ....

[brooksburns]

I think even I would slow down somewhere around the third chicken, no matter how hungry I was!

Not to mention it being on the wrong side of the Atlantic.  And a long way from the nearest port.

[Stanwix England]

I wonder if it got away from a zoo?

[Erato]

1846  -  Probably a pet that got too big and mean to handle and was released to fend for itself.

[lydiaann]

When we lived in British Columbia, we used to get a family of raccoons bimbling through our garden and climbing up over the fence, with the help of a branch from an overgrown shrub.  When the shrub got too big to handle, I suggested a large pair of loppers to get rid of it.  Himself did the deed...but left the stem so momma raccoon could get the babies up and over the fence what a big softie!  Those were in the days when we thought they were amusing (although let's face it, they had just as much right to be there is we did).  However, that all changed the evening we heard this tearing sound from above the kitchen...a wander outside showed Rocky eating his way through the wooden roof.  We got it repaired, but he kept coming back despite the various objects we threw at him each time - so before we left, we had to have the whole roof replaced; needless to say, it was not made of wood!

[iluleah]

Mid 1800 was a hey day for travelling menagery shows so likely one of their raccoons escaped

[DianaCanada]

When we lived in British Columbia, we used to get a family of raccoons bimbling through our garden and climbing up over the fence, with the help of a branch from an overgrown shrub.  When the shrub got too big to handle, I suggested a large pair of loppers to get rid of it.  Himself did the deed...but left the stem so momma raccoon could get the babies up and over the fence what a big softie!  Those were in the days when we thought they were amusing (although let's face it, they had just as much right to be there is we did).  However, that all changed the evening we heard this tearing sound from above the kitchen...a wander outside showed Rocky eating his way through the wooden roof.  We got it repaired, but he kept coming back despite the various objects we threw at him each time - so before we left, we had to have the whole roof replaced; needless to say, it was not made of wood!

My daughter sent me a video recently of a mama raccoon and at least four babies she thinks are living under her porch.  Reminded her not to leave anything about that they might want to eat.
Had one raccoon sighting here this spring, large one sitting on our patio, looking into the basement window.