"There's a raccoon in my yard in the daytime, what is wrong with it?"

In most cases, it's likely nothing, according to the wildlife control officer who covers Carbon County.Cory Bentzoni, a wildlife control officer for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, gets calls for everything from suspicious raccoons to up to 400-pound bears."The county is very heavily wooded. It's a very natural habitat for these critters to be in, lots of water, lots of swampland. Of course, we have a decent population of human beings, which creates a very steady and convenient food source," he said. "Basically any wild animal we have in Pennsylvania is well established here in Carbon County.When you see a raccoon, fox, or other critter during the daytime, it may seem unusual. But it usually doesn't mean they're rabid, according to Bentzoni.The game commission gets a lot of these calls, especially in the spring. But Bentzoni said that usually they are just foraging to feed their newborn young."I get it all the time, 'Hey come take care of this raccoon.' "The conversation continues."Why?" Bentzoni asks."Because it was seen during the day," the resident replies."Well, what was it doing?" he asks"It was just walking through my yard," is the reply."That tells me nothing. It could just be hunting for food," Bentzoni said.So how do you tell the difference between a hungry animal and a sick one?One sign is that the animals are too friendly to humans. While it's not unusual for them to be out during the day, stay away from any wild animal that has no fear of humans. If a raccoon is looking disoriented, drooling, or exhibiting aggressive behavior, it's a sign there's something wrong."That is definitely a sign something is wrong. But it doesn't mean it's necessarily rabies. They carry all kinds of things: roundworm, distemper, things like that which can all be misconstrued to be a rabies virus," Bentzoni said.Bentzoni gets countless calls each year for suspicious animals in his district, which includes southern Luzerne County as well as Carbon. But in an average year, he only sees about five cases of rabies.This year, there have been only two. So the likelihood of seeing a rabid animal is pretty low.The likelihood of seeing a healthy animal, of course, is high. Because this is Carbon County, and the combination of the woods, humans and their garbage make it a very desirable place for animals to call home."It's a very natural habitat for these critters to be in, lots of water, lots of swampland. of course, we have a decent population of human beings, which creates a very steady and convenient food source," Bentzoni said.