Bay Shore Family Caught Keeping 2 Raccoons As Pets: DEC

BAY SHORE, NY - A Bay Shore family were caught illegally keeping two raccoons as pets earlier this month, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

On June 13, officers Nicholas Nicholas and Kyle Bevis received a report the family was keeping the raccoons as pets.

They arrived at the home and found two juvenile raccoons in the basement, the DEC said.

After interviewing one of the family members, the ECOs learned that the two raccoons, named Rack and Uni, were being fed milk from a bottle and had been trained to use a litter box, according to the DEC.

Because it is illegal to possess wildlife as a pet in New York, the raccoons were taken from the home and brought to a local wildlife rehabilitator to be released back into the wild.

In addition, two tickets were issued for unlawful possession of wildlife and possession of wildlife as a pet.