Will discuss can you eat raccoon in this article. Raccoons are interesting animals that can be found in Europe, Japan, Central, and North America. They are mostly shy animals that rarely show their presence to humans. But every night after your sleep, these mischievous creatures are the ones responsible for the mess in your garbage.
They mostly survive on the garbage we throw out and the leftovers we leave. So, there is a popular belief that raccoon is not supposed to be eaten. But is it true? Or can you eat raccoon? We are going to answer that in this article.
Contents
Is It Safe To Eat A Raccoon?
Technically speaking, raccoon meat is safe to be consumed. But there are also some things we should consider before eating a raccoon.
Southerners ate raccoon meat for many years in festival periods. But now that culture has been faded, and raccoon meat was cast out. Now, raccoon meat is considered taboo because they eat garbage that humans have thrown out.
And most raccoons which are far from urban areas, hunt and eat animals, fish, and reptiles near water bodies. When they eat species like frogs, clams, and insects, toxins accumulate in their bodies. When we eat, those toxins might well affect us too.
Rabies Carriers
One of the deadly viruses known to mankind is rabies. There is no cure or antidote created to help people affected with rabies. The mortality rate of rabies-affected people is near 100%, and only a few cases have been recorded of people surviving after getting infected by rabies.
Raccoon is one of the animals along with bats, dogs, skunks, and foxes that are the primary carriers of rabies in the United States. If you get infected by the virus, the only remedy is to get a series of vaccinations. It will prevent any catastrophic infection.
If the raccoon is infected with rabies and it scratches or bites you, you might get infected by it too. Also, if you cut your hand when you are cleaning the raccoon meat, you might get rabies as well.
But the problem with the rabies virus is it can’t be identified without going through a series of vigorous blood tests on the raccoon. So, we might not know whether the animal is infected or not.
However, if you cook them properly above 122 degrees Fahrenheit for several minutes, the virus will become inactive, and you won’t be in trouble of rabies infection.
Parasitical Infection
Apart from rabies, raccoons produce other problems that we should be concerned about. One of the other problems is the presence of parasites such as tapeworm and roundworms. There is a high chance of people getting affected by roundworm infection if the meat is not prepared properly.
If you even suspect you have consumed raccoon meat that has been infected with roundworm, you should get immediate medical attention. You can prevent the multiplication of the roundworms in your digestive system if you are able to get immediate treatment.
Detecting the presence of roundworms in the human body is a difficult task. So it is better to properly cook the raccoon meat before eating them.
To Sum Up
Raccoon meat is one of the tasty meats which closely resembles chicken and turkey. They can make a perfect dish for dinner if cooked properly. But it can also cause illness if they are cooked unproperly.
Also, take preventive measures to guard yourself against raccoon attacks when you try to capture them to prevent unwanted infections. Raccoons are edible but whether you eat them or not is up to you.
Also check out: Can you eat dolphin.
