Raccoons carry more rabies than rats do and can do far more destruction to property in less time.
I'm a big proponent of hound hunting for coyotes and coons. We have far too few doing it and it has hurt other game populations through their unchecked predation. I didn't realize FR was such fertile ground for the PETA crowd.
In much of the USA, coons are the PRIMARY vector for rabies nowadays.
You can also surmise that many of our members have never tried to raise chickens for eggs and fryers in a farm setting. We kept two fox terriers that were busy every night keeping the coons, possums and foxes away from our chicken coop where I grew up. It was a never-ending battle...
JC
“I didn’t realize FR was such fertile ground for the PETA crowd.”
Still don`t get it, do you? I highly doubt you ever will. Someone who believes that watching other living things suffer so they can get some kicks is beyond trying to reason with.