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To the Editor: 

How species-centric and wildlife-phobic is Councilmember Linda Maio? What town does she live in? Raccoons aren’t “varmints” to be neutered into local extinction. Shame on her for even suggesting raccoon-neutering. 

Most of us in Berkeley are grateful for any vestigial reminders of our Bay Area’s fecund past. Personally, I go through $25 to $30 worth of unsalted or raw peanuts monthly (more in the late fall and winter) just to help out the tree squirrels and blue jays in my neighborhood. I love it when my little buddies perch on my balcony rail or come into my living room (very politely I might add) and allow me to supplement their diets and give them some fresh water. Humans have forever changed their environments for the worse. The oak and pine trees (and countless other bygone food sources) that used to predominate and provide sustenance for these wily and hardy survivors have been eliminated by humans. 

There aren’t more raccoons than there used to be. There are just some survivors of the original local raccoon tribe who still manage to eke out a living in our increasingly human-built “environment.” We live in their backyards... not the other way around. Their tribe was here before ours. Boo Hoo if Maio’s out-of-town friends were surprised by a couple of our local animal residents. They should count themselves lucky that local human “varmints” didn’t just steal their open unlocked car. Would a raccoon ever do that?  

Also, don’t forget humans are animals too, albeit much more environmentally destructive ones who already make nightmare neighbors for all the other plants and animals in this area. I know that raccoons can’t vote, but please keep your overly-urban, timid wildlife-hating ideas to yourself.  

Long live the Berkeley raccoons! 

David Shefik, 

Berkeley