A woman living near Poulsbo, Washington, who had a habit of feeding raccoons had to call the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office for help when she was surrounded by nearly 100 of the hungry critters.

The woman, whose name was not provided, was feeding raccoons near her home when they began appearing in larger numbers demanding food about six weeks ago, according to a sheriff’s office video on Facebook. 

The sheer number of demanding and hungry raccoons forced her to flee to her car and call the sheriff’s office for help. She told deputies that businesses able to trap and relocate the animals quoted her prices as high as $500 per animal to remove them.

Wild animal control, however, is not exactly the wheelhouse of a local sheriff’s office. They told her to contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for assistance.

Some of her neighbors were less than sympathetic.

“I’ve had several raccoons in the yard recently. My dogs have gotten in a scuffle several times with a raccoon. … I’ve also noticed there’s been a lot more hit raccoons up on the main road here. I just hope that somebody steps in and helps her take care of this problem … and hopefully, she’ll quit doing it,” area resident Wendy Cronk told KING-TV in Seattle.

Fish and Wildlife referred the woman back to local wildlife control professionals, agency spokesperson Bridget Mire told local news site MyNorthwest. She said the woman was working with a raccoon trapper.

Fish and Wildlife warns on its website against feeding raccoons, noting that human-fed raccoons “often lose their fear of humans and may become aggressive when not fed as expected.”

The available food and resulting concentration of raccoons can also spread disease, Washington wildlife officials said.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.