The baby raccoon, which was brought to the Petco in Maine by an unidentified woman for nail trimming on Tuesday was handled and kissed.
In a blog post published on Thursday, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife stated that raccoons were one of the main carriers of rabies in Maine.
According to Maine’s rabies test guidelines, the animal was euthanized after it tested negative for rabies.
The woman entered the Petco at Mt. Auburn Avenue, Tuesday afternoon, the woman brought in a raccoon to get its nails trimmed.
The agency is still searching for the woman who was pictured on Facebook by the wildlife agency.
In a press release, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife stated that it is illegal to own wildife and Petco doesn’t trim raccoons nails.
While waiting for the service to be provided, many people touched the animal and some even kissed the dog.
Raccoons can carry rabies. Rabies can spread to humans through bites, scratches, cuts, or saliva from rabid animals. It is fatal if the virus is not treated.
The agency reported that “Once the manager of the store was alerted about the raccoon he asked the woman who had the racoon leave the store and contacted both the Maine CDC as well as the Maine Warden Service.”
The agency confirmed in an update that the animal had tested negative for rabies, and those who were in contact with it didn’t need to be treated.
According to Maine’s test guidelines, “animals that are submitted for testing will be euthanized.”
Anyone with information about the woman is asked to contact the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.
The agency reminds residents that possessing wildlife is illegal in Maine and they should never try to handle, feed or move a wild animal.
The agency stated, “If you don’t care about them, just leave them alone.”
