On Monday morning, a raccoon was found inside South Kelowna Elementary
The Central Okanagan School District asked parents to keep their kids home from South Kelowna Elementary School on Monday because a raccoon showed up unexpectedly.
The school district said in a statement that staff found the animal inside the building.
The district says conservation officers were sent to catch and remove it, but it got up between the ceiling tiles and the ceiling, where the officers couldn’t reach it.
“Staff took steps to keep people and the animal safe because the wild animal could hurt people if it felt trapped,” the district said in a written statement.
But the school district said that conservation officers and staff helped the animal get out of the ceiling space and out a back door before lunchtime.
The district said that parents were told to keep their kids home as soon as possible, but if they did go to school, they would be taken by school bus to Canyon Falls Middle School, which is about five kilometers away.
People have been bitten by raccoons. In June of last year, angry raccoons attackedTwo people from Metro Vancouver and their dogs.
WildSafeBC says it’s hard for individuals to catch and move raccoons, so they suggest hiring a professional pest control company to help.
The school district says its staff will work with conservation officers and pest control experts to make sure the school is safe and clean after the unexpected visit. The school is expected to open as usual on Tuesday.