If you find a dead raccoon on your property, does it mean anything?
Raccoons live up to two to three years in the wild. Naturally, they do not live a very long time. Depending on where you live, a dead raccoon, the victim of many different possible causes of death, could show up on your property. Generally, a homeowner will assume that the animal died from rabies and that could very well be the case. Therefore, if you encounter a raccoon carcass, do not pick it up or otherwise make contact with the body. Contact your animal control department or your pest management professional for their help to remove the animal.
Mortality is a fact of nature and raccoons die from many different things. The causes of death include killed by predators; driven out of its territory and starving to death before it can find food (especially common for the young); mortally wounded by another raccoon; shot by a hunter; hit by a vehicle; or simply dying from old age.
If you find a dead raccoon in your yard, shed or barn, call animal control or your pest management professional for their assistance in removing the animal. If needed, they may provide an answer to the cause of death. The property owner must always be careful around any dead animal and avoid contact with the dead animal carcass. Leave the forensic examination to the experts.