He’s cute. Even scary. But is he dangerous?

While walking through Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC last week, we came along a crowd of people, cameras out, and I pushed my way in to see what the commotion was about.

“This is so dangerous!” I heard a woman caution the crowd… other missives echoed from among the passer-bys, that getting “so close” to a raccoon was dangerous. “Disease!” “Teeth!” “Mayhem!”

I’m feeling under the weather at the moment, but I can assure you, we didn’t swap spit, nor did I get scratched or bitten.

He does look scary.

Despite the warnings, about 30 people were closed-in, snapping photos of this raccoon who was on top of a garbage receptacle, foraging for food among the junk. I too snapped a few; I also kept some distance, in case he lunged for the neck or face of a camera-touting tourist.

And while I agree, getting too close to nature can be dangerous, because let’s face it, some raccoons do carry disease, he did look healthy. And wildlife not in a cage? Is it/was it worth the risk?

That’s the price we pay, for living in urban centers, with “wildness” screened-out and caged for our “enjoyment.” When we encounter the “real thing,” we take risks to capture, well, the unusual.

Sadly, I didn’t encounter bears.