A raccoon peers through a patio door at a home in Kamloops in February.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lynn Friesen
February 19, 2025 - 6:00 AM
A Kamloops resident looked up to see a raccoon peering through her glass patio door a few days ago, and it appeared to be interested in the television. A few minutes later, a second masked bandit showed up.
"They had no fear at all," Lynn Friesen said. “One of them seemed to be fascinated by the TV, maybe he needed a news update. He was giving us high fives on the glass, it was so stinking cute.”
The encounter happened during the evening last week and it's the first time Friesen has seen raccoons so close to her door. The last time she saw raccoons on her property was last year when they were a safe distance away.
She watched as the raccoons pulled a metal magnet that was attached to the screen for the door and attempted to eat it but left it on the deck floor.
“When the raccoons moved away from the door my husband opened it to retrieve the metal magnet, and the male quickly came back,” Friesen said. “I have no doubt he would have come inside the house if the door wasn't closed quickly enough. Not sure what that outcome would have looked like had he gotten inside."
Two raccoons stand the doorstep of a Kamloops home on a February night.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lynn Friesen
Friesen let her neighbours know about the brazen raccoons out of concern for the safety of their small pets.
Raccoons are prevalent throughout the province and are highly adaptable opportunistic omnivores that can survive in dense urban areas, according to WildSafeBC.
While the trash pandas are considered cute to some, they do damage gardens and buildings during their search for food and denning sites, and a high percentage of them carry a roundworm parasite that can be hazardous to humans.
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They have to potential to carry rabies, but no cases have been found in BC.
It's recommended by WildSafeBC to never feed wildlife and to teach children not to approach wildlife as serious bites and scratches can happen.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about raccoons in the Thompson-Okanagan
Raccoons are protected under the BC Wildlife Act. Trapping and relocating them isn't allowed without a permit if the critters are damaging property.
If you have photographs of raccoons or other wildlife appearing on your doorstep, please send them to news@infonews.ca.
A raccoon presses his paws against a glass door in Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lynn Friesen
This raccoon does not appear afraid as it looks through a resident's patio door in Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lynn Friesen
A raccoon appears to give a 'high-five' on a patio door in Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lynn Friesen
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