Green bins can become ‘death traps’ for raccoons, N.S. wildlife rehab centre warns

A Nova Scotia wildlife rehabilitation centre is spreading the message about the importance of securing green bins, as it receives a growing number of calls about stuck raccoons.

Hope for Wildlife, based in Seaforth, N.S., says it has seen a “significant rise” in the number of these calls. Not only are raccoons finding themselves stuck inside the bins, but so too are squirrels and birds.

During an 11 a.m. interview with Global News, Hope Swinimer, the centre’s founder, said they had already received three such calls that day.

“It’s definitely a seasonal issue and I get a lot more calls in the summer, but I have noticed this year we are getting more calls and I don’t know if that’s just because people are more aware of Hope for Wildlife and what we do, or whether that’s because the problem has grown,” she said.

“But (green bins are) really death traps any time in the year because they’re trapped in there and they can’t get out.”

She notes raccoons are clever at opening lids and can be attracted by the smells coming from the green bins.

If someone does find a raccoon in their bin, Swinimer says she usually advises them to check on the status of the animal.

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“I ask a few questions (like) when’s the last time they checked the green bin just to get an idea of how long that animal might have been in there,” she said.

“If they said they checked it yesterday, I’ll recommend they put the bin on the side with the door open and go away for about a half hour and come back to see if the little raccoon scampered off.”

She says if the animal looks bright-eyed, alert and is clean, then that’s a good thing.

“However, if they open the bin and the raccoon’s wet and full of the waste that’s in the bin and looks bedraggled and tired, then it’s sort of a different process, because I know that animal will need to come in for medical care,” she said.

“They’ll need to be rehydrated and examined and cleaned up before they could go back to the wild.”

Her advice is to keep green bins clean and to store them away from walls or stairs, where animals can climb. The top of the bin should also be secured with a bungee cord.

“If you have a hard time pulling it open, then the raccoon will too,” she said.