Community Corner

Animal Control Report: Turtle Power, Raccoon Invasion

A glance at some recent incidents in Alexandria.

Animal Control officers in Alexandria deal with a variety of calls every week. Here's a glance at some recent incidents in the city courtesy of Patrick Egan of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

Raccoon invasion — One raccoon caused a whole mess of trouble in a Seminary Hills home.

On June 11, a resident who had been out of town for two weeks returned their home in the 400 block of N. Gordon Street to find it in complete chaos. Furniture and other items were knocked over and some curtains were torn.

Find out what's happening in Del Raywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

An Animal Control officer responded to a call from the resident and quickly located a raccoon on a ledge near the ceiling of the home’s kitchen. The raccoon had apparently gained access through a hole in the roof.

The raccoon was humanely captured and later returned to the wild.

Find out what's happening in Del Raywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The homeowner was referred to Humane Wildlife Services to prevent future medium-sized mammal invasions.

Turtle power — A snapping turtle that somehow made its way into a garage in the 700 block of Hawkins Way was humanely trapped and returned to the wild.

On June 10, an Animal Control officer called to the scene determined that that turtle most likely made its way into the home from a nearby stream, but how the reptile made it over a fence and inside the garage could not be explained.

Although small by snapping turtle standards, the animal was large enough to cause injury if provoked. 

For more information about Alexandria Animal Control, visit the AWLA website.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here