THE TROUBLE WITH BREEDERS
Unfortunately, purchasing a raccoon from a licensed breeder is frequently a contribution to animal abuse. Federal licensing of a breeder only guarantees one thing- that the licensee has paid his fees. Licensed breeders are not required to account for where they obtain their animals, nor are they required to disclose the final disposition of animals who leave their care. This means that there are no guarantees that the breeder has obtained raccoons by legal or even humane means and that unsold kits may be disposed of in any manner the breeder chooses. There is no real accountability and a raccoon purchased from a breeder may well have originally come from one of the opportunists who kill mother raccoons in the spring and sell their young. It is also possible that the breeder himself is one of those opportunists.

FRESH BLOOD
Some people purchase from breeders with the belief that they are getting an animal that comes from a line of domesticated stock and that their purchase does not have any impact on wildlife. This is not true. In order to prevent excessive inbreeding, breeders must "refresh" their breeding stock at intervals. No matter how you look at it, this means removing animals from the wild, transporting them and placing them in captivity for the sake of turning a profit.
A raccoon purchased from a breeder is no more a domestic animal than a wild raccoon.

USDA INSPECTIONS
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that 25 percent of federally licensed companion and exotic animal breeders have substandard conditions. Breeders frequently refuse to allow USDA inspectors into their facilities. In a recent Animal Welfare Report to Congress, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that inspectors were denied entry on 2,186 inspections, yet these breeders remained licensed.

REGULATIONS ARE RARELY ENFORCED
APHIS is responsible for regulation and inspection of breeders and breeding facilities. They are also responsible for the inspection of research facilities and animal exhibitors. The number of facilities under their jurisdiction is approximately 8,000 and there are only about 85 inspectors working out of five regional offices. By the USDA's own admission, they cannot enforce their own regulations due to lack of manpower. As a result, many breeders operate without any sort of regular inspection. A quote from the USDA's Office of the Inspector General in regard to enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act:
"APHIS cannot ensure the humane care and treatment of animals at all dealer facilities as required by the act. APHIS did not inspect facilities with reliable frequency, and it did not enforce timely corrections of violations found during inspections."

WHAT THE BREEDERS DON'T TELL YOU
They would really rather that you didn't know this...
According to a recent survey of animal shelters and humane associations (1), 60% of all wild animals who are kept as pets do not survive the first month of ownership; of the remaining 40%, 20% die within the first year, and only 10% are still alive by the end of the second year.
To purchase a raccoon from a breeder is to contribute to an industry that has little effective regulation and is responsible for the pain, suffering and death of hundreds, if not thousands, of wild animals annually.

(1) South Bay In Defense of Animals, Nike Animal Rescue Foundation, St. Francis of Assisi Animal Rescue, and Companion Animal Rescue Effort.

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