Wild raccoon euthanized after people kiss it in store

AUBURN, Maine — A raccoon in Maine was euthanized and tested for rabies after a woman brought it into a pet store for a nail trim and some customers kissed it, wildlife authorities said.

The raccoon tested negative for the disease, and there is no rabies risk to the public, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokesperson Mark Latti said Sunday. However, raccoons are one of the most common carriers of rabies in the state, and bringing the wild animal into a pet store constituted an unnecessary risk to public health, Latti said.

The woman, who has not been identified by authorities, brought the raccoon into an Auburn pet store recently, the wildlife department said. She was seeking to get the animal’s nails trimmed, which is a service the store does not provide to raccoons, the department said.

Several people handled the animal and some kissed it, the wildlife department said. The store’s manager then asked the woman to leave and contacted the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the department said.

The raccoon was tested for the disease, which came back negative, but necessitated euthanizing it, Latti said. There is no nonlethal test for rabies in animals, he said.

Rabies is almost always fatal in people once symptoms appear, and potential sufferers need to seek treatment immediately. Wildlife are best left alone, though animal control authorities can also be notified if the animals appear to be in distress, Latti said. “When they lose their fear of people they are more likely to become a nuisance or be run over by a vehicle,” Latti said.