Petco customers kiss raccoon brought in for nail trim. Then came warning from officials

A woman walked into a Petco carrying a young raccoon and wanted to get its nails trimmed, Maine wildlife officials said.

While the raccoon was in the store, several customers kissed the juvenile creature and “handled” it the afternoon of May 23 in Auburn, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

A Petco manager asked the woman to leave with the raccoon, as “Petco does not trim raccoon nails,” wildlife officials said in a May 25 news release.

Then, the manager called the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Maine Warden Service, according to the release. The woman potentially exposed the customers, and herself, to rabies, wildlife officials said.

In addition to the rabies risk, it’s against state law to possess wildlife.

Although raccoons are “one of the most common carriers of rabies” in the state, officials wrote in a May 26 update that the raccoon tested negative for the disease.

Exposure to rabies can be deadly if it goes untreated, state officials previously warned.

McClatchy News contacted Petco for comment on May 26 and was awaiting a response.

How rabies is spread

The animals most likely to carry rabies are bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks, the CDC says.

The most common way a person can get rabies from an infected animal is if they are bitten, according to the agency.

Although rare, it’s possible for a person to get rabies if a rabid animal scratches them or causes abrasions, the CDC says. Additionally, if any open wounds come into contact with an infected animal’s saliva, a person could become infected.

It’s not possible to determine if an animal has rabies without lab testing, according to the agency.

The CDC says warning signs that can hint at a possible rabies infection in an animal include:

• Aggressiveness

• Biting attempts

• Drooling

• Issues swallowing

• Appearing more tame than normal

• Issues moving

• A bat on the ground

However, some animals with rabies may appear fine, so the CDC cautions against approaching or feeding an animal in the wild.

This story was originally published May 26, 2023 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Petco customers kiss raccoon brought in for nail trim. Then came warning from officials."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.