A cash reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for tormenting and killing a raccoon in D.C.'s Cleveland Park neighborhood. 

Continue reading

Born Free USA, a national animal advocacy nonprofit, is adding a $500 reward to an existing $1,000 already being offered by the Washington Humane Society.

In a statement released Tuesday, animal welfare officials said a person or persons set an illegal trap in the 3800 block of Yuma Street NW. A raccoon, captured on April 7, had to be euthanized after suffering in the trap for at least a week.

Investigators say the trap had stripped the animal's front leg down to the bone, and the raccoon had attempted to chew off a leg in order to break free.

According to Adam Roberts, Executive Vice President of Born Free USA, "In 2010, DC banned the use of various lethal traps to catch most kinds of urban wildlife such as raccoons, possums and skunks and this is the first known case since the new law."

The trap, which was set in a widely populated neighborhood, presents a major public safety risk as family pets could be potentially injured or killed, Roberts said.