Woman takes baby raccoon to Petco for a nail trim — with unfortunate results

A woman in Maine somehow got her hands on a baby raccoon and thought what it needed most was a nail trim. So she brought the wild animal to Petco, where "many different people handled the raccoon and some even kissed it," according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Not only could the raccoon have had rabies, but "it is illegal to possess wildlife in Maine, and Petco does not trim raccoon nails." Sadly, testing for rabies requires the animal to first be euthanized, according to UPI, so a trip to the nail salon led to a dead baby raccoon.

From UPI:

The woman, who has not been identified, took the raccoon to a Petco in the town of Auburn around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday where "many different people handled the raccoon and some even kissed it," authorities said.

The store manager was ultimately alerted to the presence of the raccoon and asked the woman to leave the store before contacting the Maine Warden Service and the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention.

Raccoons are one of the most common carriers of rabies, a disease that can be lethal unless quickly treated.

In the end, "The raccoon tested negative for rabies, so those who came in contact with the raccoon at Petco do not need to seek treatment," posted Maine authorities, who are now looking for the woman who needlessly ended a raccoon's life.

"The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries reminds people that it is it is illegal to possess wildlife in Maine. Please 'Keep Wildlife Wild' and 'If you care, leave them there.'"