We all know they鈥檙e out there, prying open garbage cans, scurrying across fences and maybe even bunking under your deck, wrote the:
But urban raccoons 鈥 who look just like their country cousins but live very different lives 鈥 are rarely studied, leaving humans in the dark about what the nocturnal animals get up to while we鈥檙e sleeping.
A new CBC documentary will change that. 鈥淩accoon Nation鈥, airing Feb. 24 at 8pm on 鈥淭he Nature of Things鈥, was filmed largely in Toronto, the apparent 鈥渞accoon capital of the world鈥.
The film offers a glimpse into the secret lives of city raccoons, street-smart garbage-eaters who have more in common with people than you would think.
. . .
The documentary follows two researchers from 91亚色 who embark on a study that produces fascinating portraits of the lives of five raccoons that live in Toronto.
Psychology and biology Professor Suzanne MacDonald and PhD student tagged the raccoons with GPS collars to log their travels throughout the city, recording them at up to 1,500 points over six weeks. They found that the raccoons live in small territories and avoid crossing major streets 鈥 which, given the risk of becoming road kill, is a key survival strategy.
For a sneak peak of what's involved in tracking raccoons in urban wildlife, visit . More information about the documentary is available on .
MacDonald is chair of the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health.
Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin