February 17, 2011
Students continue to be frustrated as a wild raccoon forces the closure of the MacHall first floor student copy machines across from Opa.
Now entering its third week nesting in the space, University of Calgary campus wildlife director Mandel Reguly said there's not much the school can do about the problem.
"Once a male raccoon finds an appropriate den, it's pretty tough to get the darn bugger out," Reguly explained.
The Students' Union has blocked off the area and advises students to ignore any growls or shuffles they might hear.
"We're hoping that eventually the raccoon is just going to starve to death," Reguly said. "The other alternative is that he'll gnaw his way out and with a raccoon that hungry, there's going to be a lot of human attacks."
U of C wildlife cohabitation club president James Wheeler, responsible for introducing the animal onto campus, said that in time students and staff will grow used to having the raccoon around.
"I think it's very worth the raccoon scratches and raccoon bites," said Wheeler. "This is the way you create a diverse, interesting campus."
As of press time, the bats in the U of C swimming pool also remain uncaptured.
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