And in related news...

Cute, furry killers loose in Tucson

The situation came to light about two years ago, Lattanzi said. He had seven adult box turtles.

"Everything was going great. The box turtles just ran around my yard and ate all the bugs," he said.

Then he discovered an empty turtle shell in his yard -- the reptile had apparently been eaten.

"I thought it was a one-time event that would never happen again, so I didn't take any precautions," he said.

Two more died soon after, and near the shell of the third, Lattanzi found bloody raccoon paw prints. None of his friends believed him, even when he showed them the pictures he took, he said.

Eventually, he discovered two raccoons in the neighborhood that appeared to enjoy marauding through the back alley together.

As the article points out, raccoons -- or more specifically, raccoon POOP -- contains a certain kind of worm which is FATAL TO HUMANS if they are ingested by little kids putting dirt in their mouths, etc... my pal RedFish, who's a microbiologist, attests to this fact.

Raccoons are just as vile as squirrels, only smarter and craftier. Rotten things, bothering sweet little box turtles... and yes, RedFish, I know -- box turtles probably carry salmonella and stuff. But they're much cuter and less threatening than raccoons, no?