Raccoon Behavior
What are raccoons known for eating due to their omnivorous diet?
Everything, including human food and garbage.
What did Toronto Mayor John Tory refer to as the greatest nuisance in the city?
Raccoons feasting on green bin contents.
What was the key feature of the new green bins that was supposed to keep raccoons out?
A locking lid mechanism.
What was the name given to the raccoon memorialized on Young Street?
Conrad.
Who is Dr. Suzanne MacDonald?
A professor of biology and psychology who studies animal behavior, particularly raccoons.
What is raccoons' "superpower" according to Dr. Suzanne MacDonald?
Their sense of touch.
What term does the podcast use to describe the ongoing struggle between Toronto and its raccoons?
The War on Raccoons.
What company won the bid to design the raccoon-resistant green bins?
Rehrig Pacific.
What did Amy Dempsey name the particularly clever raccoon who could open the green bins?
The Genius Raccoon.
What type of research does Suzanne MacDonald conduct on Toronto’s raccoons?
She studies dead raccoons collected by animal control to track population health.
Why do raccoons look humans directly in the face, unlike monkeys?
They don’t feel the need to look away and can stare back.
Who designed Toronto’s new raccoon-resistant green bins?
Rehrig Pacific.
What challenge did Rehrig Pacific face when designing the bin’s lid?
It had to lock for raccoon resistance but automatically unlock when collected by a truck.
What method did the raccoons use to unlock the new green bins, as shown in viral videos?
They knocked the bins over to make it easier to unlock them.
How does urban life affect raccoon intelligence compared to rural raccoons?
Urban raccoons are smarter because they face more complex problems to solve.
What happens when raccoons get a taste for human food?
They start to prefer it over natural food like berries.
How did Mayor Tory describe the city’s attitude toward raccoons?
He said, "Defeat is not an option."
What was the green bin made of that made it attractive to raccoons?
It contained composted organic waste, essentially a “buffet” for raccoons.
What did the raccoon in Amy Dempsey’s trail camera footage do before opening the bin?
It knocked the bin down and then turned the handle.
What is one of the dangers Suzanne MacDonald faces when studying dead raccoons?
Dealing with thawing carcasses, maggots, and blood.
What type of animal is the raccoon often compared to due to their intelligence?
Answer: Monkeys (in their ability to solve problems).
What did the raccoons do that led to the design of new green bins?
They kept breaking into compost bins and spreading waste.
What did Dennis Monastir, the Rehrig Pacific rep, do to test green bin complaints?
He conducted torque force testing on the handle.
Why is the raccoon that opened the green bins considered “extra gifted”?
Most raccoons weren’t able to figure out how to open the bins.
What did Suzanne MacDonald predict might happen to raccoons in the future?
An “uber raccoon” could evolve that can break into anything.