Raccoon Family Destroys Human Family's Storage Unit
When you rent a storage unit, you do so with the assumption that the company in charge won't let a family of raccoons move in and destroy or urinate on all of your belongings. The La Gambina family of Illinois thought so, at least, but they were quite wrong.
La Gambina's tale began in March, when he rented a $119-per-month drive-up unit at the Public Storage facility in Lombard.
When he retrieved his items in May, a raccoon had given birth to a litter of five babies inside the storage unit. The animals laid waste to (and on) many of La Gambina's belongings, chewing through electrical cords and gnawing on boxes.
"It looked like a war zone," La Gambina said.
Public Storage initially promised to reimburse him for any damages that insurance didn't cover, but later changed its mind, he said.
The insurance policy, offered by New Hampshire Insurance Co. through Public Storage, agreed to pay La Gambina only $250, citing a "vermin damage" clause. La Gambina said the damages exceed $4,000."
Even after being contacted by the Chicago Tribune, the company has no intention of giving the La Gambina family any more money, and claims that they never promised the family reimbursement. Of course not.
Making this story even worse, all of the raccoon kits died after they sat in a humane trap with their mother at the storage facility for an extended period.
Raccoons infest storage unit, and company won't pay for damage [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo: harlequeen)
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Comments:
If they really did leave the trap in there overnight and the raccoon babies didn't survive, they could probably be brought up on some sort of animal cruelty charge. It won't get the OP's money back, but it sure sounds like they deserve it.
Raccoons scare me. I opened my apartment door one time and saw one just staring up at me, 3 feet away. We looked at each other for 5 seconds, I closed the door and went back to watching TV.
Very strange.
@pecan 3.14159265: That'd be rabbits, the dread disease? Or are you suggesting they're some kind of lagomorph conveyance system?
@dohtem: I was really hoping you were gonna say that it asked to borrow a cup of sugar or something. I love stories that start out strange like that.
@dohtem: They're adorable, but they are extremely formidable. Them vs. a Rottweiler? Put your money on the raccoon.
@floraposte: I hope my rabbit forgives me. Rabies, the dread disease. Rabbits are adorable creatures.
@dohtem: Was it in the building, or do you have a door facing the street? Cause if it was in the building, I wonder if it had sneaked in, someone had taken it in to try to make it a pet, or an actual neighbor, borrowing a cup of sugar like Vanilla5 said.
@floraposte: We should start a raccoon fighting ring. I don't think there are any laws on the books that expressly forbid that!
Someone get Michael Vick on the phone.
Unless there's a liability disclaimer (and that liability disclaimer is either prominently displayed or you signed it) just small claims court this one and my bets are you'll win.
@pecan 3.14159265: I used to work for a wildlife rehabilitation center. Every day when I'd be cleaning out the raccoon enclosure, their big ol' chubby bottoms would waddle over to watch what I was doing. I learned very quickly to put my socks around my pant cuffs, lest they creep up on me while I was scooping poop/setting out food and stick their eerie little pseudo-hands up my pants. Man, I miss them.
They must have had everything stored in a RaccoonVault 500.
Supergenius bears. Supergenius raccoons. Canine Snuggies.
Is this the start of a terrifying world of supergenius animals?
In this commenter's opinion, yes!
And away I go...
Someone call PETA and ASPCA on these clowns. Letting those kits die like that is a horrible way to treat animals, wild or otherwise.
One 'coon got into our attic through our powered ventilator fan. He raised thunder for a couple of nights until we shot mothballs up in there (the smell drives anyone nuts) and opened a set of soffit vents to show him the way out. He left that night. I know, for I saw him climb out of a soffit vent hole, down the ladder we provided and ran for it.
He tore up the dryer vent hose and made a mess of the insulation up there. We covered the ventilator hole with metal fabric to allow it to run and keep critters out.
@dohtem: Momma Coons can and will attack to protect their young. YT clips have shown mommas come gunning after animal control folks with fire in their eyes and blood on their mind.
@Preyfar: They're cute until you realize that they really shit where they sleep. It's soo gross. My great aunt had one in her upstairs and attic and when we went to clean up after it....oh, the horrors!
@NightSteel: Sounds like it was more than overnight and yes, this is one that should be investigated for cruelty. That is reckless cruelty.
@Nighthawke: I have a momma and her 6 kits living in my backyard tree. They're very entertaining and cute as can be.
@thegirls:
do they tear around the back yard doing as they do-
doing cute things like bears in a zoo?
@Smashville: Ah yes, the terrifying future of Kamandi, the last boy on earth. I for one welcome our new super genius animal overlords...
@MaytagRepairman: If you are lucky PETA might firebomb the storage place for killing the racoons. That will show them. Nothing like domestic terrorists!
I have just two comments about this story, as I read the original in the Chicago Tribune.
$119 a month for a unit at a storage place? What a rip-off! I know that's what the going rate probably is, but seems awefully steep for a place to dump your crap.
Second, there was never a list or detailed mention of what excatly was stored in the unit. The guy claims his stuff is worth $4,000, which I find hard to believe when all the article talked about was Xmas lights and a baby carriage.
@NightSteel: i dont think you can file animal cruelty charges for 'vermin'. if that was the case, then why not arrest exterminators who kills mice and rats and squirrels?
Frankly, there are FAR worse treatment of animals going on in the factories that produce your food. Ie, the fact that they burn off chicks' beaks so they don't peck each other to death when they are shoved into tight cages before they are slaughtered, never seeing sunlight. Isn't THAT more cruel?
No? is it b/c raccoons are cute and cuddly looking? ok, then they deserve to live.
I think this story is biased to the human point of view. From the racoon's perspective, they didn't trash the place, they improved it!
We did you a favor, ungrateful HOOMAN!
@shepd: Depends on the small claims court regulations where he is. He claims damages over $4000, and in my area small claims is for $2000 or less.
@h3llc4t: My ex's brother and a friend were coon hunting one night and they got a momma (sob!) who had two babies. The friend took one and we took the other. So I got to raise a baby raccoon. It was soooo cute, until she got big and threatened to tear apart anyone who came near her. Anyone but me, that is. We kept her in a specially made cage through the winter and when spring came, we let her go.
She was very cute. She would lean on my shoulder and run her little fingers through my hair and chew on my braid. So cute!
@JennQPublic: Agreed. Also, +1 to Floraposte for working "lagomorph conveyance system", a phrase completely full of win.
@HogwartsAlum: A teacher in college raised an injured raccoon named Mrs. Beasley. They had a pond in the backyard and they would give her a packet of hot dogs that she would take to the pond to rinse off and then eat. One day they gave her a bag of stale sugar cookies. She tried to rinse them off too. It took her a few cookies to realize it wasn't a good idea.
the trap belonged to a vendor, not public storage (we don't have animal traps). the tenant, mr LaGambina, put the kits into the cage, and watched the raccoon get in, and spring the trap. both the man, and the associate on duty, were responsible for leaving the raccoon in a trap in a garage, just before summer started, overnight. as well, the tenant's lock should have prevented the employee from possible entry.
anyway, onto what many people will find outrageous.. public storage states, at the time of rental, that they hold no liability for the storage unit. when we go over the rental agreement, article 5 specifically says that the tenant is storing at sole risk. for example, if an earthquake were to strike, there is absoloutly no coverage. if the entire lot catches fire, like in alabama, recently, i think, public storage has no liability.
public storage simply owns the land, and lets people use their garages. also, the insurance coverage he signed up for.. he signed up for after he found out about the raccoon.
@shepd: there is a liability disclaimer, last paragraph of page one that he both initialed and signed as part of the rental process
@minsky: that storage unit was 10X10, about half a regular garage. but yea, about the stroller.. if he was planning on using it again, why was it in storage offsite? he hadn't touched it in nearly a month, before he found out about the racoon on 4/27.
@HogwartsAlum: i hope you didn't teach her to be unafraid of humans. i used to have to scare raccoons that had been raised by humans to make them fit to release back into the wild.
they do not make good pets and if they aren't afraid of you, well it's bad for you and the raccoon. they aren't afraid of hunters and they aren't afraid of coming into your house and ransacking it for food.
@pecan 3.14159265: I was wondering about that. That must be one huge raccoon to carry rabbits around on a regular basis.
Classic Contract
(Bull sheitzy)
written to protect the vendor from consumer fraud
(such as somebody placing an empty box into the container and then complaining about the contents of the box being stolen)
but backfires and catches the OP instead.
Read all contracts, insurance policies etc so you are clear about the terms and limitations. Always think in terms of "what if" while reading the legal documents.
Not the raccoons! Honestly, I know they're harmful to people's things, and carry rabbits and what not, but how can you not LOVE that face? Raccoons!
This family should fire off some EECBs, send a letter to the BBB, and see if there are any loopholes. I mean, there has to be some kind of law about property damage due to unmaintained conditions, right?