VIDEO: ‘Rab’ the raccoon causes a stir in Ballymena

The animal intruder on his garage roof wasn’t the usual cat or fox but rather a RACCOON!

The mammal would normally be more at home in North America rather than a residential area close to the centre of Ballymena.

“I looked out the kitchen window and saw something sitting on my garage roof which I thought was a cat,” the man told the Ballymena Times.

“It sat there for a while so I got out a set of steps and went for a closer look, in case it had been injured.

“It was then that I recognised it was a raccoon because of the stripy tail and its wee sharp face so I thought I would film it on my phone to see what it did.

“I was a bit wary when it turned round and faced me but it wasn’t aggressive at all.

“I’m no expert on these things but it looked a healthy size so it must be finding a source of food somewhere.

“It sat for a while and then scampered up over my neighbour’s garage roof and out of sight

“My family christened it ‘Rab’ the raccoon but we haven’t seen it again since,” the man added.

A Ballymena Borough Council spokesperson said they had not received any reports of any missing raccoons and confirmed that the animal does not require a licence, under the Dangerous Wild Animals legislation.

She said that even if the raccoon is being kept as a pet, because the animal is not classed as ‘domesticated’, it would not fall under the remit of the local authority, unless in the event of concerns over its welfare.