Fearing Rabies Exposure, Wardens Euthanize Baby Raccoon After Woman Takes It to Petco

A baby raccoon was euthanized after a woman brought it into a Petco store to get its nails trimmed, which potentially could have exposed multiple people to rabies.

The Maine Warden Service (MWS) said on Facebook that the woman walked into a Petco store in Auburn, Maine, with the raccoon whose nails she wanted to get trimmed.

According to USA TODAY, the MWS said multiple people touched the animal and some even kissed it while at the store. The store manager asked the woman to leave and contacted the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention as well as the MWS, which posted the woman’s photo online and asked for information to help find her.

Once found, MWS personnel took the raccoon and euthanized it so they could test it for rabies, a spokesperson told USA TODAY. Rabies tests can only be done on a dead animal’s brain.

According to the MWS, it is illegal to possess wildlife in Maine without the proper credentials.