It is easy to focus on the many ways that raccoons can be a nuisance: They knock over garbage cans and make a mess, they carry dangerous diseases, they can cause property damage getting into your home, requiring you to call for raccoon removal in Montreal. However, raccoons do not do any of these things out of malice. They are wild animals doing what it takes to survive. When they see an advantage, they press it because that’s what nature has designed them to do.

Every animal has an important role to play in the ecosystem, and raccoons are no exception. Furthermore, even humans can benefit from having raccoons nearby, as long as they do not get too close. Here are some of the ways that raccoons can benefit humans as well as the environment as a whole.

How Do Raccoons Benefit Humans?

Raccoons make lousy tenants, but they actually make pretty good neighbours. Being omnivorous, raccoons eat both plant and animal matter. Since they are relatively small creatures, they prey on things such as insect larvae, rodents (e.g., rats and mice), snakes, and lizards. These are all common garden pests, and raccoons help to keep their populations under control.

While raccoons do some hunting, they are known more as foragers and scavengers. Instead of killing and eating their prey, they more often feed on the carcasses of animals that are already dead. Carrion can breed harmful bacteria, and by eating it, raccoons can help keep your neighbourhood clean.

Pest control on your property is too big a job for raccoons to handle on their own, and it would be unfair to expect them to try. The disadvantages of having them on your property outweigh the potential benefits. You definitely do not want to encourage them to stay on your property, but you can benefit from their being in the vicinity.

How Do Raccoons Benefit the Environment?

By helping to keep pest populations under control, raccoons are not only helping humans but the environment as a whole. For example, take their habit of feeding on insect larvae. In particular, raccoons eat wasp larvae. Wasps are predatory insects that feed on bees. Bees are important pollinators that are already facing challenges due to pesticides and habitat loss. Without knowing it, raccoons are helping to protect the bee population by eating larvae and keeping wasps’ numbers under control.

Raccoons like to feed on plant material, such as nuts, fruit, and berries. They often consume the seeds, which go through their digestive system and are later excreted. In this way, raccoons help to disperse the seeds, helping the plants to grow over a wider area.

Another way that raccoons help plants to grow is by digging in the ground to find some of their favourite foods, such as nuts and insect larvae. Turning over the soil helps to aerate it and promotes the decomposition of old plant material, providing nutrients to help new plants grow.

Raccoons can be predators, but they are also prey. Wolves, hawks, coyotes, and owls are all examples of predators that may feed on raccoons. Some types of snakes may eat raccoons as well. This may not be pleasant to think about, but it is part of the important role that raccoons play in the ecosystem: providing food for other animals. Furthermore, some of these animal species are themselves endangered. If they didn’t have raccoons to feed on, they could end up going extinct.

Call Skedaddle for Raccoon Removal in Montreal

Raccoons and humans coexist most effectively when there is some distance between them. Raccoons do not know enough to stay away, so it is up to you to call for raccoon removal if you find raccoons on your property. After humanely removing the animals, we decontaminate where they have been and keep them from getting back inside. Learn more about the services we offer in Montreal.