East Main Street: Where the wild things are?

FRONT ROYAL – Merchants, customers and tourists– in the 400 block of East Main Street in Front Royal have been seeing some rather wild sights lately.

Families of raccoons and opossums have apparently taken up residence along some portions of the street, and appear to have made the vacant building at 415 East Main a hangout of their own.  The building, owned by local dentist Craig Zunka, appears to have been infested by the varmints.  Attempts to reach Zunka for comment were unsuccessful; he was out of town.

C & C Frozen Treats owner William Huck said Monday that he had reached out to Mr. Zunka as well, but was also told he was out of town. Huck said he is concerned that the raccoons and opossums, both of which he has seen, could be a health hazard to anyone who comes into contacts with the animals. He said the thought of children, who frequently visit his ice cream shop with their family, having to endure rabies shots due to exposure to an infected animal “just sickens him.”

It appears that someone has placed traps in the vicinity of where the wildlife has been spotted, though it is not clear just who is setting traps.

Raccoons frolic inside the window of a vacant building in Downtown Front Royal. Some local merchants are concerned about the possibility that the wild animals could spread disease, including rabies.

A Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries  employee told Royal Examiner on Monday that it was illegal for citizens to transport wildlife in the state.  Anyone needing wildlife removed must employ a trapper,  who is trained to safely remove the creatures, and humanely euthanize them.  According to VGDIF’s Karen Austen, it is illegal to simply relocate the wildlife to another area.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, Warren County has had cases of rabid raccoons in the last four years for which Royal Examiner obtained records.  In 2017, two raccoons tested positive for rabies; in 2016, one raccoon, one cat and one skunk tested positive; in 2015, six raccoons tested positive for rabies; in 2014 three raccoons, five skunks, three cats and one fox tested positive for rabies.

Last week,  the Virginia Department of Health confirmed that a cat captured in Warren County had tested positive for rabies, Huck pointed out.  He said he had talked to Mayor Hollis Tharpe about the issue, and hoped that the town council would be able to address the problem, and quickly.

Significant damage is seen in the front window of 415 E. Main St., where raccoons and opossums have been spotted recently.