Raccoons have been slowly taking over the city for years now—they're in our libraries, they're in our brownstones, they're shopping at John Varvatos, and perhaps the most unsettling and transparent in their mission to take over humankind: they've invaded City Hall. And now some new footage from Joey Boots shows that they're no longer scared of humans, either—check out what happened last night in the Bronx: more ›

Boy howdy, the city really just does not know what to do with raccoons. It was almost a year ago that legislators first proposed a bill asking the city to trap errant raccoons, and today, they're still pushing. more ›

Raccoons: when they're not breaking into Brooklyn brownstones, they're... breaking into Brooklyn brownstones. Previously it was unknown what they wanted in these brownstones: organic food from the Co-op? A copy of Freedom? But in light of a recent incident, we can say with confidence that these raccoons are after the cats. more ›

What's worse than a bad neighbor? A bad neighbor that could give you rabies. "Do you know who our neighbors are? Raccoons!" cries 75-year-old Florence Levine, explaining the reason why one Flushing block has become paralyzed with fear of ever leaving their houses. An abandoned building on 32nd Avenue has reportedly become overrun with the possibly rabid creatures, and is making some residents mad with hyperbole. Lee Lack told the Daily News, "I've seen raccoons come out of that house, some so big you can put a saddle on them!" (Guess they learned something from the brownstone-loving raccoons in Park Slope.) more ›

Last Thursday a dead raccoon was found in Prospect Park, and soon after tested positive for rabies. Since then, locals have been criticizing the park for not testing other dead animals in the past—as is standard procedure in Central Park (where 120 raccoons tested positive this year, and a vaccination program was established). Some claim clean up crews stall on picking up reported dead animals, leaving them to believe the city is part of the problem... and we are all seconds away from a rabid zombie-animal takeover. more ›

While official health department reports claim this is only the second rabid raccoon found in Brooklyn since 1992 (in comparison, 100 tested positive in Central Park this year alone), others claim they've been undercounting. That's what licensed wildlife rehabilitator Anne-Katrin Titze has claimed, and she has a photo of a dead raccoon in Prospect Park from earlier this year which was never tested for rabies. more ›

Remember that raccoon that broke into a Park Slope brownstone only to stumble upon death in a silverware drawer whilst trying to navigate the kitchen? Well, one woman that resides there just sent us along this video, saying, "My cousin Toby, her 2-year old daughter Cleo and I share the 3rd and 4th floor of the brownstone where the poor little guy got trapped in the silverware drawer. Thought you might be interested to know the raccoon caper continues. Last night 2 more raccoons attempted to break in and we caught them on video!" Maybe they were looking for their friend? more ›

With raccoons biting ankles in Central Park and breaking in to apartments in Park Slope, some humans are beginning to declare war on the animals. For example, a Greenwood Heights woman and her husband have now installed an electric fence around their property, which they say is often invaded by the determined creatures. more ›

Raccoons are either preparing for some kind of animal takeover of the human race (what else were they in the library for), or they just really want our cereal and prime Brooklyn real estate. Either way, this story might put the fear in some Brownstone-dwellers. A FIPS reader sent in this photo with an equally crazy story; head over here for the full tale, but to summarize: the raccoon is calling from inside the building! more ›

It isn't surprising that a raccoon was discovered inside of the Brooklyn Public Library, it was probably trying to escape certain death in Prospect Park! WNYC reports that the animal was recently spotted in the basement by the library's maintenance crew, and the area has been shut down to staff since Friday. Since that time, Animal Care and Control has come in, and the library brought in a private pest service to put down traps, but the little guy hasn't been seen since! more ›

Just as the Parks Department publicly pat themselves on the back for practically ridding the city of rabid raccoons, a woman who was recently bit by a raccoon comes forward. Going by the name Elly, she told her story to Daily Intel. more ›

The raccoons in Manhattan must have heard about the vaccination traps set up in Central Park, because they're on the move to Brooklyn! Well, at least one rabid raccoon was discovered in the borough—the Department of Health confirmed this week that they captured one in Boerum Hill. more ›

Yesterday afternoon we received an alert from the Department of Health regarding rabid raccoons taking over Central Park! Dun dun dun. They have officially issued a warning, and tell us there are three raccoons (so far!) identified as being rabid — one in recent months, and the other two in the past week... which means it's spreading quicker than you can say Cujo. more ›

The raccoon now known as Houdini—after escaping the cage his captors put him in yesterday—may have ended up being caught again, but the good news is he's still alive. The NY Post reports that the animal, who infiltrated City Hall, shows no signs of disease and "is scheduled to be released in a wooded area somewhere in the five boroughs." Phew! Mike Pastore of Animal Care & Control told NY1, "We get an animal like this, we're concerned for the public health aspect of it. We don't want somebody to encounter a raccoon coming across, so I'm glad that we were able to get him out the area." And just look how cute this 25-lb guy is! Guess all raccoons aren't foaming at the mouth. more ›

It might be time to worry about a raccoon takeover of the city. Earlier today one of them outsmarted the humans, escaping their clutches after being caught on the roof of City Hall. 1010Wins reports back that "he quickly figured out his getaway—reaching up and bending back the top of the cage. He then got to the ground by climbing down some construction scaffolding on the back side of City Hall. He eluded animal control for more than half an hour as he crept along the bottom of the wall." more ›

The raccoon look was back in SoHo today. No, that' doesn't mean Gossip Girl was filming a Little J scene at Uniqlo—we mean there literally was a raccoon inside the John Varvatos store on Spring and Greene. Gawker reports: "According to the nice lady I talked to when I called, animal control sadly took him away before they had time to name him, after a significant crowd had gathered outside. No idea how he got in, and she had no idea where they took him to." The website got tipped off by Cheryl Tan, who spotted the raccoon and did what any responsible citizen journalist does these days—Twitpicked it up ASAP. Along with the shot, she tweeted, "A raccoon just snuck into John Varvatos in SoHo-they swear it's not being kept for future fur collar." Does anyone else get the feeling PETA could be involved with this? more ›

Brooklyn Born noticed the "elusive Downtown Brooklyn Raccoon" last night in Clinton Hill and took photographs (one above) and video. He writes:

The Raccoon was chillin, hard. Strolling across streets, through crosswalks, it made a pit-stop at Moe's and was basically more comfortable looking on Lafayette than most Pratt Students. Now for all you suburban folks, country heads and new-comers, I know you can throw a rock in the woods and hit a family of raccoons, but I'm impressed by the fact that at 9pm on crowded streets this raccoon was holding sway. I marveled at how a fat fuzzy creature that didn't seem interested in sprinting, could navigate city streets until I saw it wait for the light at South Elliot.

Though the autopsy isn't in on this little guy, according to this map he met his end in Prospect Park (where his kind has struck before), and according to the orange paint it may have been at the hands of a cable company (probably Time Warner). Whether the company has blood or just orange paint on its hands is undetermined, but shame on them--Fios would never pull this. more ›

Yesterday Gawker posted a photo of what quickly became referred to as "the Montauk Monster." Lizzie Grubman jokes were made, spines shivered, conspiracy theorists pondered (the Montauk Project, anyone?), a new internet superstar was born, and most came to the conclusion that the thing that washed up near the Surfside Inn was a bloated turtle without its shell. Or a monster. more ›

Human intruders aren't the only worry amongst New Yorkers--now wildlife is encroaching upon residences throughout the city, especially in Brooklyn. Many blogs have been reporting neighborhood sightings, and now the NY Times jumps in with a look at raccoons paying visits to human neighbors. more ›

The raccoon seen in a tree at East 88th Street and 1st Avenue ultimately died after the police tried to capture it. The Post reports the cops "bungled" the raccoon rescue operation, firing tranquilizer darts "deep in its body." more ›

What could make these people stop and take photos at First Avenue and 88th Street today? more ›