Bethlehem Residents Frustrated by Raccoon Problem
Trending
BETHLEHEM -- Residents of a Bethlehem neighborhood are at their wits' end over an army of raccoons that have congregated there. They say it's because one of their neighbors has been feeding them.
Those residents have gone to the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department for help, but the county health administrator said resolving the matter is more difficult than one would think.
Residents who live on Renaissance Way have reported seeing more than 40 raccoons gathered in an area of land. They say another homeowner in the neighborhood will dump bags of dog or cat food onto the ground to attract the animals.
"Now we have to sit out here with our dog to make sure he's OK," said John Mathieu, a resident in the neighborhood who fears walking his dog in certain sections of the street or else facing a confrontation with the raccoon.
Other neighbors, who declined to give their names, said they've seen raccoons approaching their cars for food and tearing up plants and flowers. Others have witnessed raccoons swimming in and drinking from their pools.
Mary Hill owns the land on which the animals are fed, but does not yet live in the neighborhood. She said she is now wary of building or buying a house in an area infested with raccoons.
"The last time I drove by here, there were two huge raccoons here in the middle of the day," said Hill. "It's a problem for everyone else, I don't live here so I'm not going to come here and take care of these raccoons."
Many in the neighborhood fear children being put in danger by mistaking the raccoons as cats or other domesticated animals, approaching them or attracting the animals accidentally with food. Those on Renaissance Way are also worried about the health risks caused by bites or scratches from the wild animals in their neighborhood.
Howard Gamble, the administrator for the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, said that the individual in the house feeding the wild animals has been on their radar since 2014. He would not confirm the name of the person, and Renaissance Way residents would not identify the neighbor on record. The resident in question has not been charged with any crime.
Gamble said the health department has discussed the issue with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and Ohio County prosecutors. Gamble added they need enough information - "visual and confirmed by an inspector," he said - of the individual feeding the animals to classify it as a "nuisance affecting public health" under Chapter 16 of West Virginia Public Health Code.
Gamble explained the difficulty of capturing the individual in action feeding the animals.
"By the time they get a response from a community member and go up to monitor the situation," he said, "the food has already been devoured by the animals."
Gamble said the homeowner has been communicated with both verbally and in writing by the health department.
"The residents are concerned, rightfully so, and I agree with them," said Gamble. "The individual has an ongoing issue. This feeding is something the residents of the household have to or want to do knowing it could cause a public health problem."