(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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Marshmallows work really well as bait for raccoons. They should try that instead.
Ethen...lighten up. Christmas is over. You can take off the grinch costume.
I say lets kill em' they're probably linked to al-queida
And here I thought that bandit was Nancy Pelosi.
"And it's always nice to see an animal outsmarting a human being. "
We are talking about Washington here, remove brains and common sense upon entering.
Maybe raccoons are smarter than we think. They know enough to stay away from peanut butter.
SARDINES!
For you American friends please....
YOU MUST OPEN THE CAN!
Try fried chicken and watermelon in the traps.
Let them stay. Yes they can!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do hope they didn't get the peanut butter from that plant in GA....
Oh dear, time to get rabies shot!! NOW!!! Everyone working there!!
Bananas, marshmallows and grapes. Anyone who knows raccoons knows that. Peanut butter is for squirrels.
Make sure you don't give them salmonella with that peanut butter! You'll have Ashley Judd down your throat.
I like how the article says they will release the racoons into the wild right after they trap them. Yeah right....they are baiting them with peanutbutter (salmonella).
Just don't use the recalled peanut butter on those racoon traps.
Raccoons are scary wild animals. When I was a kid, I used to accompany my brother or sisters to throw the garbage onto the dumpster. The scariest thing to us, were the raccoons. They looked scary at night.....
Can Sarah Palin shoot them from a helicopter?
OF COURSE WE KNOW, CHENEY LEFT THE RACCOONS BEHIND!
As relocating raccoons is essentially just dropping them off to be someone else's problem, I suggest freeing them in some republican's backyard.
Better yet, ship them to Rush's estate.
Just wait for the Armadillo Attack Squad.
Jeez, I can't believe the comment thread on this became political. The raccoons arrived earlier in January (when we had President Bush) and are here still (we have President Obama). The non-political groundskeeping staff at the White House is trying to capture the raccoons. Anyone reading politics in this is really pathetic.
I love my little raccoon visitors!
F.Y.I. they are especially fond of red seedless grapes and non-poisonous, unsalted peanuts in the shell.
Use salmon skin or shellfish and they'll get into a bobcat size cage. I promise. They can carry rabies and should not be around the kids or their new puppy. Then.......
Send 'em to Sarah and she'll take care of them!
What is "the wild" where they are to be disbursed? Rock Creek Park? Anywhere in NE Washington?
More seriously, I was ordered by my local animal control officer here in NJ to release the raccoons who invaded my garage right back into the neighborhood. It is not right to relocate raccoons to some other area and place them in competition with the family of raccoons that have staked out their own territory.
Sardines and a dish of water. Racoons like to wash their food first!
Name them W and Dick.