Obese raccoon that gorged on leftover takeaways and ransacked bins for treats caught after year on the run

20:06, 4 FEB 2016

BY MIRROR.CO.UK

The animal - weighing a whopping 8.1kg - was first spotted in Sunderland last year and has been hunted ever since

A huge raccoon that was on the loose living off discarded takeaways has finally been caught.

It is thought to have survived by eating leftovers from bins and takeaway boxes from around the city.

But now, it has finally been caught after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs tracked it down.

Officers laid baited traps in hopes of catching the animal, which is native to North America.

It has undergone a series of health checks, been vaccinated and they are now trying to find it a new home.

Ray Forsyth and his wife Lynne Wood were the first to spot the mammal when it wandered into their garden.

Read on ...