Look closely. That’s a raccoon on the Lower East Side on Ludlow St.
Trigger, the former owner of the Continental, the punk rock music club-turned-cheap shots bar at St. Mark’s Place and Third Ave., spotted the critter Monday night on Ludlow St. between Grand and Hester.
“I thought it was a cat and was gonna try to rescue it until I saw those eyes,” he said. “That’s his tail to the right. He was a big mutha.
“I saw him scooting under a car and then on the sidewalk and then it climbed up a storefront. His home seemed to be a construction site. He probably went into some garbage cans for food.
“He was big and husky,” Trigger said. “Must be eating well. He climbed up that storefront gate like a champ. I’ve never in my whole life seen a raccoon in Manhattan before!”
Who brought a coon to the city?
Specific to Manhattan, I know raccoons are common in Central Park; I suspect in other NYC parks, too. However cute they look, they’re wild animals: don’t mess with them. Raccoons are smart, adaptable, and standard equipment includes formidable teeth and claws. Worth adding: woodlands may be their natural habitat, but they do just fine co-existing with humans on what we think of as our turf.
There are hundreds of them at Jamaica Bay Wildlife refuge area. You can see their eyes gleaming from the light of cars headlights and lampposts. Saw a big pack of them that were lurking around the rest stop area.
If it’s a big mother, he is probably a she and is feeding for 6 or 7.
This is going to be a fun summer with the Open Restaurants on Open Streets.