Prospect Park

Diseased raccoons wander out of Prospect Park, upsetting residents

December 18, 2018 By Raanan Geberer Brooklyn Daily Eagle
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
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Visibly sick raccoons that may be suffering from distemper are wandering out of Prospect Park and into nearby neighborhoods, unnerving local residents.

One Kensington resident, Phyllis Klein, said a large raccoon fell either from a nearby building or from a tree, landed a few feet from her head and then limped off in a daze, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

A Greenwood Heights dog walker, Randi Lass, noticed a raccoon walking in circles at Greenwood Avenue and East Third Street on Nov. 25 and contacted the Parks Department, the Brooklyn Paper reported.

And on a sidewalk outside an Ocean Parkway apartment building near Church Avenue, a resident saw a raccoon that had trouble standing and left piles of diarrhea and vomit.

Humans are immune to distemper, but the disease can prove deadly to dogs.

As of Tuesday, the Parks Department had collected 87 Prospect Park raccoons, both dead and alive, and seven tested positive for the virus.

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