We’ve seen a raccoon in a tree, a raccoon on a roof, and now there’s a family of raccoons hanging out next to a bar on Market Street.
Robby emailed us, “I was walking on Market Street, when I passed by that dentist office next to the Old Pequliar. I looked over and saw, a whole family of raccoons!” He says the raccoons stood there for about two minutes. “They sure didn’t seem scared of me.”
This is a shot of them walking near the Old Pequliar parking lot. “Not quite a cougar sighting, but it was still pretty surprising to see a whole family of raccoons right off the sidewalk on Market,” he says.
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21 reader comments so far ↓
1 cufflinks // Sep 4, 2009 at 1:39 pm
looks commical!
2 Silver // Sep 4, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Yeah, they look cute. I've seen 'em tear apart a man in seconds.
Not really.
Oooo! I'll bet they're messing with the patrons of the pub!
“DUDE! I *totally* saw a raccoon just now!”
“Was it wearing a cougar-tail hat?”
“No, dude, seriously!”
“I'm cutting you off.”
“Oh MAN! Look! There he is again, and he's laughing!”
3 ktown69 // Sep 4, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Not really that funny. Our street around 67th and 27th has had many close encounters, at least one which ended with a dog almost dying. They certainly aren't afraid of humans or other animals. Where's that cougar when you need one?
4 Cougar Bob // Sep 4, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Magnolia's cougar totally trumps Ballard Raccoons.
5 Silver // Sep 4, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Oh YEAH? Well WE had a BEAR!
After you were done with it…
p.s. – you can keeps the cougar…
6 Alysse // Sep 4, 2009 at 2:55 pm
cougar food!
7 Cougar Bob // Sep 4, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Discovery Park is wild animal central. Its where all the cool cats go!
8 rodgowdy // Sep 4, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Masked and striped rats…
9 NoraBell // Sep 4, 2009 at 4:59 pm
But the masked marauders prefer Market Street.
10 NoraBell // Sep 4, 2009 at 5:01 pm
The Old P welcomes all species.
11 Jules2 // Sep 4, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Racoons are so smart, if they had opposable thumbs, they would rule the world.
12 Cougar Bob // Sep 4, 2009 at 5:07 pm
For sure there are better restaurants in Ballard, smart old raccoons.
13 ballardrocksnow // Sep 4, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Agreed, my gf has a family of coons outside her place that will virtually look in her window to announce their going to the condos garbage area to look for goodies. I think they actually want us to turn on the lights to help them see since they rarely move quickly despite yelling or clapping.
14 stopthebuzz // Sep 4, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I've read Where the Red Fern Grows. Didn't seem too smart to me. :P
15 jubbjubb // Sep 4, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I think these are the same guys that walk the fence line between 15 & 17 on NW 58th. They are very friendly, well from 10-yards and thru a glass door anyway. Oddly they react the same if you blow them kisses or yell at them; I think it's, “Ya got any damn food, no, fine I'm out of here”
16 fuzzbeans // Sep 4, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I suspect the urban 'coons will be more and more visible as they get hungrier. With food scraps going into the big 'n' tall yard waste bins, there's less easy food for them in garbage cans.
As much as I like wildlife and think they're very cute, I'm a bit worried for our pets and kids.
We should probably introduce a cougar or two into the neighborhood to keep the raccoon population down!
17 Name // Sep 4, 2009 at 9:26 pm
I've heard/seen maybe not these same coons, but a group of three or four, right around midnight, eating up the plums from a plum tree right by the old library. It's a good time for them to eat naturally (harvest season), so I don't know why they need to head over to the bars.
18 facebook-1406140970 // Sep 5, 2009 at 12:32 am
I saw them cross the street in front of my apartment building (64th and 15th) a few days ago around 6am…
19 Silver // Sep 5, 2009 at 12:42 am
That damn book made me cry my eyes out!
20 Captain Bligh // Sep 5, 2009 at 3:43 am
Well I expect them to get carded if they wander in a bar for a drink!
21 maryls // Sep 7, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Indeed, Raccoons are highly adapatable and live all around us. Read about natural behaviors of Raccoons in PAWS' spring 2009 magazine: http://www.paws.org/about/mag/issues/issue72/in...
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