A dead raccoon removed from an air handler


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Dead Raccoon In An Air Handler – Bad Combo!

This picture reminds me of one of the most worst smelling animal removal jobs I have ever done. Being a professional, I have come across all sorts of dead animal stenches but this was a cut above the rest. The owners told me that the smell had been around for almost 10 days, which is why it seemed to have engulfed the entire house. Anyways, it was apparent that there was a dead animal situation here. I first searched the attic and ended up finding a bunch of baby raccoons, which meant that the dead animal had to be a raccoon too and I had a feeling that it was the mother. However, I could not find any carcass around the attic.

I tried asking a few questions from the owners but there was a language barrier between us. The only thing left to do was to return to the attic and see if I could locate something there. I noticed that the vents in the attic had been torn open and I could sense that this had to be the entry point for the raccoon. When I sniffed inside, I was greeted by a strong gush of stench which was unbearable even with the mask on. As I traced the duct back, I found out that it was connected directly to the air handler.

I went back down and asked the owners if I could open the air handler. I cut through the air handler and sure enough, there lay an electrocuted adult raccoon inside. I carefully removed the carcass with the help of the tongs and the end result is right in front of you. I cleaned the air handler from inside and sprayed the entire area with a deodorizer, after getting rid of the carcass. As for the baby raccoons, I handed them over to a wildlife rehab owner who would let them out in the wild once they became adults.