Research project looks for masked creatures
Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter
Raccoons are becoming a more common sight in Alberta as their population slowly increases. Dayna Goldsmith, a third year veterinary student at the University of Calgary, is currently involved in a research project being conducted in conjunction with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary, the Fish and Wildlife Conservatives and the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre on raccoons in Alberta.
“The reason we started this study was because last year we collected four raccoons from the Strathmore area and two out of the four of them contained a round worm parasite that had never been previously documented within Alberta. Interestingly, there was also a report of a potential case of the same worm being found in Strathmore in a cow,” said Goldsmith.
“There’s no documentation of that worm being able to go into cattle, but it should be possible and that’s what kind of started this study. So we are looking for that nematode worm in particular, so we’re hoping to get more samples from the Strathmore area.”
There were four samples taken from Strathmore from a farmer who had been shooting the raccoons as a way of removing them from his land. Goldsmith said then there was a neurological case in a cow that was kind of suspicious and can be caused by nematode worms.
In the last 30 years or so there has been an increase in the raccoon population in Alberta, and people have started to notice them. Goldsmith said she’s not sure how many are in Strathmore, but that many people in Calgary were surprised when she told them there are raccoons, because no one sees them. While the numbers are still lower than out east, and will probably stay lower for a while yet, they definitely have increased in the last 30 years.
“There’s a couple of hypothesis, one is with global warming they’re starting to be able to move their habitat further and further north,” said Goldsmith.
“Another one is that as the urban centres grow and expand, raccoons who prefer to live in close proximity to people, are able to expand their territory.”
There haven’t been a lot of studies done on Alberta’s population of raccoons yet. Goldsmith said their study is looking specifically at parasites, she said they suspect because the raccoons are new here they may have all sorts of novel parasites when they move to a location like this.
Goldsmith said it’s important to figure out what they have and decide whether or not there’s anything that’s going to be a threat to pets, or to livestock or to people.
Another goal her group has is to raise awareness about the fact that there are raccoons here
“I’m just asking people that if they find carcasses or they know a raccoon is living in their backyard and there’s fecal samples around to just give me a call,” said Goldsmith.
If you find a raccoon carcass or latrine, or if you would like more information on this study contact Dayna Goldsmith at 403-617-7729 or dagoldsm@ucalgary.ca.