For most of us, our only exposure to these furry, masked creatures is cartoons or cute home video like the one below. This video is the perfect example of why we humans have let our guard down around these wild creatures. In what may be the most adorable video for animal lovers, here’s a pack of raccoon begging on the street for ice cream.

Image via Wikipedia

Most often, they’ll come sneaking around your house looking for food. While my personal experience is that they like to come at night, here’s a cute video of a raccoon trying to steal food from a cat.

Once again, a darn cute video. This even makes me want to have a pet raccoon, if for the only reason to pester my lazy cats. However, raccoons are indeed wild animals. Here are some important warnings to remember before letting your children, your pets or even your grandmother anywhere close to a raccoon.

Raccoon Attacks:

This past September, a series of raccoon attacks in a town near Seattle left a couple and two pets injured. The man who suffered serious scratches trying to get the raccoon off his dog was left with the reward of 15 painful shots in the arm to protect him against rabies.

More recently, a Florida grandmother was hospitalized after being attacked. The local law enforcement was sent looking for the gang of five raccoons who viciously attacked her after she tried to “shoo” them away from her front door. She was attacked by a gang of raccoons. Yes, that’s right. A GANG of raccoons (who knew they organized?).

Even raccoons raised as pets can still be dangerous. A man was attacked by the raccoon he kept as a pet for 3 years.

Image via Wikipedia

When you see a raccoon in the wild, just remember… you don’t know where it’s been. It may carry dangerous diseases, like rabies. You get bit; you’re in for some painful medical treatment. Your pets get bit; you may have to put them down.

So, just play it safe. Get your raccoon fix on youtube. Your pets will thank you.