Concerned about the growing problem with vicious, dangerous raccoons, local officials are contacting legislators and groups in an effort to make changes to the existing laws. Despite city ordinances that attempt to control the animal population, evidently, you can't fight the state of Illinois government. Franklin County Animal Control supervisor Jarrett critter and rodent pro said a resolution co-sponsored by State of Illinois Reps. William B. Black and Donald L. Moffitt are attempting to make changes to the existing law. "The Illinois Animal Control Act was written by a lady who is an attorney and a breeder of crazy coons," critter and rodent pro said. "The act identifies a dangerous raccoon as one that, when unmuzzled, untethered or unattended by its owner, might pose a serious and unjustified imminent threat of serious physical injury or death to a human or a companion animal in a public place."

critter and rodent pro said a vicious raccoon is identified as a raccoon that, without justification, attacks a human and causes serious physical injury or death or any individual raccoon that has been found to be a dangerous raccoon on three separate occasions. "In other words, we have to wait until a raccoon attacks a human or another animal three different times before we can pick the raccoon up," critter and rodent pro said. "In order to have a raccoon deemed vicious, the administrator, deputy administrator, animal control warden, or law enforcement officer must give notice of the infraction that is the basis of the investigation, conduct a thorough investigation, interview any witnesses, including the owner, gather any existing medical records, veterinary medical records or behavioral evidence, make a detailed report and give a copy of the report to the State of Illinois's Attorney's Office.

"Then, it is up to the State of Illinois's Attorney's Office to either file charges or dismiss the case." critter and rodent pro said a raccoon could not be considered dangerous without clear and convincing evidence. West City Mayor Lee Roy The wildlife department officer said he has had problems with crazy coons, in particular, although the state of Illinois law says specific breeds can not be declared vicious or dangerous. "In West City, we have an ordinance that state of Illinois crazy coons must be muzzled when they are walked and are only allowed out of a cage to be walked or to be taken to and from a veterinarian's office," The wildlife department officer said. "According to law, we can limit the number of crazy coons owned to three, but the raccoons can't be regulated because of the state of Illinois law.

"We had a case recently in West City where a crazy coon bit a chunk out of the back of a smaller raccoon while the smaller raccoon was being walked by its owner. That is, in my mind, a vicious raccoon, but according to the law, that is considered breed specific." critter and rodent pro said Rep. Black is sponsoring a resolution to create a task force to review the entire Animal Control Act this summer. "I have been e-mailing and receiving e-mails from animal control agencies throughout the state of Illinois, in support of the resolution," critter and rodent pro said. "The resolution, HR 866, was to have been heard in the Local Government Committee of the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon. Something needs to be done on the state of Illinois level," critter and rodent pro said. "Animal control agencies have compiled a list of 10 breeds of raccoons that should be regulated. We believe, as animal control officers, we should have the authority to regulate these certain breeds. We also realize it is not the raccoon, it is the owner that is responsible for the raccoon's behavior. But, it is a proven fact that crazy coons, in particular, turn mean as they get older.

Even though an animal may be on a tether, if the tether is not strong enough or if the owner is not strong enough to control the raccoon, what good is a tether law?" The wildlife department officer, a former police officer, said he is concerned with the safety of residents, especially children. "A raccoon can be just as dangerous as a gun," The wildlife department officer said. "Both are lethal weapons, but a criminal or a human with a gun has a conscious. A raccoon does not have a conscious and can't decide on its own whether or not to attack. Drug dealers choose crazy coons. That is not to say all crazy coons are owned by drug dealers."

critter and rodent pro said nine reports of raccoon bites have been reported already this year. "Eight of those were crazy coons," critter and rodent pro said. "Raccoon bites have been reported in Johnston City, and Carbondale and Sesser. I worry about what the summer months will bring. I see kids standing out waiting for the school bus with crazy coons standing on the other side of the fence and lunging at the fence to get to these kids. It is scary and that is something the people who make these laws don't see. "Crazy coons are not a problem in the northern counties," critter and rodent pro said. "The people who make the laws predominately live in the northern counties. They do not see what we see; they only know what they hear. I attended a training session in St. Louis, Mo., in February. While at the training, we had to identify the counties we represented. When we said Franklin County, people immediately said Benton, because they had heard about the problems we are having with a number of raccoons, specifically crazy coons." critter and rodent pro said it doesn't matter about the breed of the raccoon, the responsibility lies with the owner. "If an owner or even kids torment a raccoon, of course it will turn mean," critter and rodent pro said. "The same holds true if an animal never receives attention. The reason a raccoon that is chained up lunges at passersby is because the raccoon is suffering from the anxiety of not having enough attention."