Toronto actor waits 2 weeks for dead raccoon to be removed by city crews

It’s been two weeks since a Toronto actor called animal services requesting the removal of a dead raccoon in her neighborhood.

Since then, she’s been documenting the lengthy wait on social media, drawing attention to ongoing delays that have resulted in a pause in some municipal cadaver removal services.

Jean Yoon, downtown Toronto resident, and actor best known for her role as Umma in CBC’s Kim’s Convenience, first shared an image of a dead raccoon on Parliament Street in late April – at that point, it had been more than a week since she’d submitted a 311 request for pick-up, she said.

At the time of publication, the dead raccoon remained on Parliament Street. The city came to collect the cadaver at around 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, Yoon said.

Yoon first took to Twitter to voice her concerns on April 28, nine days after she says she submitted her request for removal.

“It's now covered in plastic, and fortunately the weather has been coolish, but oh, it's gross,” she wrote.

On Tuesday, nearly 12 days after her first post, Yoon provided an update to her Twitter following of more than 40,000 users.

“Day 12 of the Dead Raccoon Watch: it was there for about two days before I called it in,” Yoon wrote. “I now just feel defeated every time I walk by it. I wonder if the city will ever pick it up," she wrote.

On Wednesday afternoon, Yoon confirmed to CTV News Toronto the raccoon had yet to be picked up.

The Toronto actor is not alone in her experience. Toronto Animal Services (TAS) confirmed to CTV News Toronto Tuesday that it’s currently experiencing delays in executing cadaver pick-ups amidst a high volume of service requests.

The delays have forced the city to alter its operations — as of April 23, a notice on it's website stated that removal services on private property would be limited to large wildlife cadavers such as skunks, raccoons, coyotes, deer, and opossums.

As of Wednesday, the city says it's taking crews up to five days to respond to requests for the removal of dead animals. Reports of animal bites or attacks can be expected to be serviced in three days, while reports of stray dog attacks or other "menacing" reports should be serviced in three hours, the city says.

For the month of February, the average wait time for cadaver pick-up was over two days, TAS said in a written statement. In March, that average spiked to eight days. In April, city crews were able to shorten delays, and residents waited about four-and-a-half days for dead wildlife to be removed from their properties or neighbourhoods.

While average response times reflect the experience of most, at one point in late April, a notice on TAS’ website said cadaver pick-up waits could reach up to 2 weeks, mirroring that of Yoon's.

When reached for comment, TAS pointed to staffing limitations and the prioritization of calls involving live animals as reasons for the long wait times.

“TAS has three to four officers in the field from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and two officers from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.,” a spokesperson for the department told CTV News Toronto.

“While staff work to remove cadavers as soon as possible, service requests for sick and injured animals are prioritized,” they said.

This isn’t the first time city services have been overwhelmed with requests to remove dead wildlife. In 2022, a distemper outbreak amongst Toronto’s raccoon population spiked TAS’s cadaver removal response time to 12 to 14 hours. To deal with the surge in requests, the city deployed staff from other sectors to alleviate stress on the department.

A close encounter between the public and a raccoon in a Toronto grocery store last week prompted a warning from Animal Services, who said the interaction may indicate a continuation of last fall's distemper outbreak.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A DEAD ANIMAL IN TORONTO

The city says service requests for pick-up of larger dead animals, such as raccoons, can be submitted to 311 and that these animals should not be put in the garbage, recycling bins, or compost bins. Residents who find sick or dead wild birds are also advised to contact 311 to discuss removal and safe disposal.

A service request for the following can be made online or by calling 311.

Small dead animals, such as squirrels, mice, and rats can be placed in the garbage if double-bagged, it said, adding that bags must be tied or waste management staff are not required to take it. Toronto residents can also bring cadavers to any of the three Toronto Animal Services shelters for disposal by appointment.

In its statement, TAS reminded residents never to touch dead animals with bare hands, but instead, “wear gloves or use a double plastic bag and wash their hands thoroughly after any contact.”

The city underlined that Animal Services' staff will not "climb trees, deconstruct decks, fences, porches or go into a lake or stream to pick up a dead animal."

If you need a dead animal must be removed from under a deck or porch, the city says residents must call a private company

With files from CP24.