Man Attacked by Wild Raccoon in North Natomas

Robyn Dahlgren Cappelluti photographed this wild raccoon and its baby in mid July near Garden Highway and Orchard Lane. / NatomasBuzz.com

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

Location of July 31 raccoon attack.

A Natomas man attacked by a wild raccoon during an early-morning walk has prompted family members to caution others who live in the area.

Dan Bolster was walking his dogs at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday on Jebel Court off Rockmont Circle when he was attacked by a single raccoon.

Bolster suffered scratches on his chest and back, relative Kaytee Reyes told THE NATOMAS BUZZ.

“We’ve been having a raccoon issue around the Burberry Park area for the past couple months,” said Reyes. “It hasn’t gotten really bad until the past two weeks.”

Reyes explained Bolster, her stepfather, has been chased on more than one occasion while walking his dogs in the morning and the evening.

“He is normally chased on Rockmont Circle and a couple of times at the actual park (Burberry),” she said.

Bolster, who is an ER physician, was not bitten by the raccoon and his dogs were not injured during the attack.

“Dan threw the raccoon off of him and it ran away,” Reyes said.

Bolster’s wife Christie Keylon took to Facebook Thursday morning posting on THE NATOMAS BUZZ page a warning about the “aggressive raccoons” encountered by her husband. Keylon later called 311 to report the incident, but at that point city officials said there was no way to locate and identify which raccoon may have been the one Bolster encountered.

“Raccoons typically have litters in April, so this is most likely a mother raccoon protecting her family from a perceived threat – the dogs,” said city Animal Care and Control Division spokesperson Gina Knepp. She explained the raccoon family will stay together during the first year.

Reyes confirmed her mother had recently encountered a raccoon litter on her front porch on Rockmont Circle.

“…when she walked out of the front door the mama hissed at her so she went back inside,” said Reyes, who has also encountered wild raccoons near her home on Swadley Way.

Earlier in the week, Reyes’ husband and son were out in their front yard at dusk when they noticed a raccoon staring at them from the gutter. They rushed indoors when the animal started running toward them and the house.

“Given the time of day, it is not abnormal for nocturnal wildlife to still be out and about,” said Knepp of the morning attack on Bolster. “This is not the first incident like this we have seen, although it is relatively rare and again, occurs this time of year.”

Knepp said pet food should be kept inside and all fruit in yards picked up to deter wild raccoons. She added an organic product called Critter Ridder can be purchased online or at area feed stores which is effective at repelling skunks, raccoons and other animals.

“If nocturnal wildlife is seen during the middle of the day, that should absolutely be reported to 311 immediately, as it could be indicative of illness,” Knepp said. “We have set traps in the past, particularly when public safety is compromised.”