(CNN) - In the ongoing battle between a pack of particularly ambitious raccoons and the White House groundskeepers, the raccoons appear to be winning.
According to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, no raccoons have been caught on the White House grounds since the band of intruders were first spotted roaming the premises earlier this month.
The National Parks service set up several traps around the White House lawn earlier this week after determining one large raccoon and several smaller ones were causing trouble around the West Wing and the Executive Mansion.
If and when the raccoons are caught they will be released into the wild, the National Park Service has said.
But the traps, which include peanut butter and apples as bait, have yet to allure any of the pesky mammals.
"No raccoons that I know of have been caught or disbursed into other places in Washington," said Gibbs.
The White House press secretary also said he would be of little use in the hunt: "There are a few that roam in my backyard, so I don't have any particular tips."
From CNN Politics
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Gene February 6th, 2009 4:04 pm ET
They're going about this all wrong. Just send Sarah Palin in a helicopter over the white house grounds.. the racoon problem will be taken care of quick
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You beat me to it
With the usual government position that there's no problem too big or too small that it can't be solved by throwing more money at it, why not just offer the raccoons $10,000 each to go somewhere else?
Maybe they read the news reports about the tainted peanut butter?
Seriously, raccoons are clever cusses. They can also be dangerous for several reasons...they bite, they can attack in a group, and they carry diseases such as rabies.
Groundskeepers: suggest you set up feeding stations, and dart them. They love cat food, by the way, which is a lot less messy than peanut butter! And be sure that they get immunized before freeing them...they have been known to make their way back over 100's of miles!
The Secret Service might want to scan them for "bugs"...
I have successfully caught several racoons in live traps this season. They seem to like dry cat food with honey poured over it and apples. That combination has worked for me.
What they didn't tell you is the 3.7 Billion Dollar Raccoon project will be added to the stimulis package...
This part actually worked... as the two trap guys got some work out of it... at just over 1.85 Billion each.
LOL... slow news day eh?
To hell with the Labradoodle: let the Obama girls adopt Bandit and the Gang.
I smell a Disney movie in the making...
They are probably aware of the contaminated peanut butter!!!
Isn't raccoon a racial slur about African Americans? ITs either that or coons.. Bad wording on the authors part
Notify the half-wit the raccoons are on the premises!
But let her know the airspace over the WH is a no-fly zone, so she needs to leave helicopter in Alaska.
Then let us all know about the raccoon stew when TMZ interviews her about how Levi was named after a pair of jeans!
Didn't they have a group of beavers that were nawing down the cherry trees and others along the Tidal Basin some years ago...Where are all these animals coming from. Raccoons can be dangerous there are a lot that are rabid.
Smart raccoons! They know the new White House residents love nature & the environment! Hope the Park Rangers don't use any tainted peanut butter, as we don't want these crafty critters succumbing to human food errors! Former raccoon visitors to my home enjoyed my attic & chimney, so check the White House chimneys, too!
This could be job for palin at white house. Shes good at hunting isnt she?? HAHA
Why are they giving these beautiful creatures peanut butter...have they not heard its TAINTED!?!
'sides...we know that McCain and Palin put them there!
it's raccoon & beans time...for those poor, uneducated, mainstream republiklans who looks up to rush limbaugh & sean hannity for their hate-filled gibberish talking points!
rush limbaugh & sean hannity are getting these hilibilly's fooled – advocating for millions of dollars of tax cuts to line their pockets while you clueless idiots will be eating raccoon & beans!!!!!!
the white house get aplenty – go help yourself republiklans!!!!
Relax people, peanut butter is fine, it's the spread that's used on some premade crackers that's the danger. The raccoons will be fine. Can we worry about the serious stuff now.
Raccoons are OK, keep GOP as far away from White House as possible!
For Pete's sake. Send in a couple of Cajuns, a big stock pot, some butter and flour...and you'll have gumbo before dinner.
And the concern over the racoons is? I have some around my house... should I be afraid?
And 10,000 bigoted jokes are born.
Peanut butter?! Are they trying to give these poor racoons salmonella???
Anonymous @ 4:12, raccoons are rodents that can be found in any urban environment anywhere.
They probably came to the White House because it has a big lawn, some earthworms, a few trash cans to dig through, and no predators.
I live in Los Angeles and despite being in the middle of a vast urban sprawl, I get raccoons in my backyard sometimes.
So I think that claiming someone released them onto the grounds to reference the shortened version of the word "raccoon" in relation to the race of our president is a bit like our friends on the right wing saying that they faked the moon landing.
Tell them to bait with canned sardines. I've caught plenty that way. They can't resist.
Anonymous I thought the same thing.