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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M 8 ARCH 19-25, 2021
Pelham Gardens home full
of raccoons and garbage
Photo by Jason Cohen
BY JASON COHEN
With garbage overfl owing in the
backyard of a Pelham Gardens home,
it is not only an eyesore, but also a hazard,
as raccoons live inside and often
roam on people’s properties.
The residence located at 2433 Kingsland
Ave., has been vacant for about
a decade, neighbors told the Bronx
Times.
People have made 311 complaints,
but nothing has been done. Also, the
ASPCA will not come because it is a
private home.
There is a visible hole in the side
of the roof, which shows where the
furry creatures have entered the
home.
“They go all over the place,” said
Irene Estrada, the female leader of
the 80th district, who lives across
the street. “They go down the block.
They are big raccoons.”
Estrada explained people want to
feel safe. Residents shouldn’t have to
worry about getting rabies if they are
out walking their dog or with their
children, she said.
John Delarosa recently moved
next door with his 3-year-old daughter
and stressed that he cannot let
her play in the backyard. To prevent
the animals from getting in his trash
not only does he have to put lids on,
but sprays vinegar on them as well.
He noted that the garbage and
overgrown tress are so bad that he
cut the trees that were on his property
and in the summer the yard is
full of mosquitoes.
Neighbor Robert Santiago, who
lives two doors down, has resided
there for 11 years and witnessed the
raccoons on a daily occurrence. He
has witnessed them climb the fences
and make it unsafe for his grandchildren
to be outside when they visit.
“You just can’t enjoy your yard
as much,” he commented. “Once it is
around 6 everybody gets inside. You
never know what’s going to happen.”
A couple years ago the ASPCA
came because a rabid raccoon was
in the street, otherwise no one has
helped eradicate the problem.
Once it gets warmer the raccoons
are out all of the time.
“We don’t want to go through another
spring of raccoons,” Estrada
said. “Everyone has to be on their
toes during the spring and summer.”
Property owner Rebecca Shields
did not know about any of the issues.
But she has had her own troubles to
deal with.
In 2015 her daughter passed away
and then in April of 2020 her other
daughter died of COVID-19. So, now
her granddaughter Laura Kalina is
stepping in to help.
“I would like to do something, but
the letters and things come to her,” Kalina
explained. “We used to go down
there every weekend and clean up, but
the last time we were there the yard
didn’t have any garbage in it.”
She explained that things have been
tough with all of the death and the pandemic,
but they will do what is needed
to resolve the issues. Kalina questioned
where the trash in the yard was
coming from.
“If nobody lives there how is garbage
getting thrown there?” she said.
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