A young raccoon has been euthanized after a woman brought it into a Maine pet store, where other customers handled and kissed the animal, officials said.
The small mammal tested negative for rabies after the incident at a Petco store in Auburn last Tuesday, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said in an update.
“Those who came in contact with the raccoon at Petco do not need to seek treatment,” the department said after the negative test.
The woman, who has not been identified, reportedly brought the juvenile animal to the store to get its nails trimmed. Surveillance images released by authorities appear to show the woman cradling the creature.
“While waiting, many different people handled the raccoon and some even kissed it,” the wildlife department said in a Facebook post. “Once the store manager was alerted to the raccoon, the manager asked the woman with the raccoon to leave the store, and contacted the Maine [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the Maine Warden Service.”
The department continued, “It is illegal to possess wildlife in Maine, and Petco does not trim raccoon nails.”
Rabies, a life-threatening virus, can be transmitted by an infected animal’s saliva or neural tissue. Raccoons are among the state’s most common carriers, according to the department.
It is not possible to test an animal for rabies without euthanizing it, department spokesperson Mark Latti said Sunday. He recommended against interacting with wild animals.
“When they lose their fear of people they are more likely to become a nuisance or be run over by a vehicle,” Latti said.