Aren't they so cute when they're little? These young raccoons were taking an evening walk with their mom.

Evelyn took this next picture of the raccoon walking across the Wakodahatchee Boardwalk. Thanks for sharing Evelyn!

...and there it goes:

Raccoons might be cute, but they also bite and carry diseases that people can catch. Feeding them makes them lose their natural fear of humans. When they lose that fear, particularly if they get sick later, they can bite you or someone you love causing serious illness. Please do not feed them; they'll do fine on their own.

You're probably familiar with rabies, but raccoons can also carry Raccoon Roundworm. This is a nasty parasite that people can get by simply touching an area that is contaminated with viable eggs (which are too small to see with just your eyes) and then touching their mouth. Covering trash cans and dumpsters, educating those around us about why it's dangerous to all of us if people feed raccoons, and regular hand washing, particularly after being outside, are all good measures to take to avoid problems with the admittedly cute wildlife we share our planet with.