Dozens of raccoons living along a Brevard County nature trail have been illegally fed by someone, luring them dangerously close to people, officials say.
- Raccoons, some with mange, overrunning Cocoa Beach park
- Officials say someone has been feeding them, intentionally setting off traps
- Person has been warned, faces misdemeanor charge if caught
Brevard officials have closed off part of the scenic beachfront boardwalk at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach.
In the meantime, the county has hired a trapper to try to catch as many raccoons as possible before someone gets hurt.
Janet and Peter Barnett aren't surprised there's a raccoon issue in the Hammock Trail Nature Trail area of Lori Wilson Park. They've seen them there before.
"Raccoons, at least a dozen of them..." Janet Barnett said. "There's a little pool; they were drinking and searching," she said.
Up to 50 have been spotted in a shaded, wooded portion of the county-owned park over the past week. The problem is, Florida wildlife officers say someone continues to feed them.
A private trapper has been brought in to set traps, but the traps are being intentionally set off, officers said.
They're concerned because the raccoons have mange, which can be contagious to not just animals, but humans as well.
Both the county and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have told the person feeding the raccoons to stop.
"Stay away from them, and certainly don't feed them!" Peter Barnett said.
FWC has some teeth per the law: Feeding of wildlife is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine, depending on a judge's decision.