Fort Smith (Oct 06/03) - It seems raccoons may be heading our way.

One of the pesky animals has been discovered in Fort Fitzgerald, Alta. about 20 km. south of Fort Smith.

"It's very unusual," says Sholto Douglas, a renewable resources officer with RWED in Fort Smith. "It has never been seen before in this part of the country."

The raccoon was first spotted in an outbuilding in Fort Fitzgerald a couple of weeks ago.

A live-trap was set and it was caught on Sept. 30, says Douglas.

The wildlife officer says a raccoon has never been known to have come so close to the NWT. "It's history in the making."

Five years ago, a raccoon was spotted further south in Fort Chipewyan.

"It is just a matter of time before they get into this geographic area," Douglas says, noting environmental and climatic changes are allowing some animals to range further north.

Among the other unusual visitors in recent years have been cougars, white tail deer and skunks.

Douglas says raccoons can be real pests, getting into garbage and buildings.

So he took the opportunity of having a live raccoon to do some public education, showing the animal to elders and school children.

"A lot of them were amazed it was a raccoon," he says. "They were totally astonished."

The raccoon was released back into the wild at an undisclosed location in northern Alberta.