A raccoon picks a cherry tree in a yard in Kamloops in June.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ YouTube

Last week, Kamloops resident and wildlife lover Jesse Ritcey watched a raccoon deftly swipe cherries from a tree in his yard, and captured footage of the entertaining masked bandit.

“I had already eaten the best ones off the tree so I didn’t mind that it took the rest,” he said. “I was more nervous it might snap a branch but you can see it being careful not to do that.”

Raccoons have very dexterous forepaws that allow them to access a variety of food sources, and they are excellent swimmers and tree climbers, according to Wildsafe BC.

Easily recognizable by their black eye masks and striped tails, raccoons are opportunistic omnivores known to eat anything edible, including nuts, insects, berries, clams and bird eggs.

The critters prefer forested areas near water but have adapted to urban environments. They are found in the Lower Mainland and have expanded into the Southern Interior including the Thompson Okanagan.

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. They have to potential to carry rabies, but no cases have been found in BC.

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It's recommended by WildSafeBC to never feed wildlife and to teach children not to approach wildlife as serious bites and scratches can happen.

Raccoons are protected under the BC Wildlife Act. Trapping and relocating them isn't allowed without a permit if the critters are damaging property.

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