FAST FACTS:
april.thompson@wreg.com
(Memphis 3/16/2010) They never let us inside the Georgian Hills Head Start in Frayser.
But outside, there was a sure sign of a pest problem, a pest control worker with a trap cage.
"They called me. They were nervous, said they heard something. I don't blame them. I would call me too," said Yuself Elamin, with Annie's Environmental Services.
He told us this was his second visit.
Last week he had trapped a huge 20 pound raccoon in the Head Start kitchen.
"He was nesting over the top of the vents in the top of the stove. I caught him in the cage," says Elamin.
Parents want to know what's going on.
They say the Head Start was closed last Thursday after the raccoon was found, but was back open the next day.
The Head start operators wouldn't let us in the building, but admitted a raccoon had been found.
"They found one last Thursday. They trapped it. That was last week. But nothing was found in here today," says Beverly Hudson, the Head Start Center Supervisor.
She says they've sanitized everything and stopped preparing food.
"We didn't open the kitchen up and our food is being served from Delano Head Start. We are doing precautions because we don't know what's going on ourselves." says Hudson.
"Any animal startled can be dangerous, but fairly they are just nature's creature. They are more scared of us than we are of them," says Elamin.
Now they are laying a trap to see if anything is found this time.
"Set these traps inside the kitchen. But I doubt it, I don't think it's raccoon in there now." says Elamin.
Pest control released the first raccoon back into the woods.
They think it may have been following the smell of food.
The Health Department has also been out to the Georgian Hills Head Start.
It ordered the facility to be sanitized and the kitchen closed until further notice.
- Raccoon found in kitchen of Head Start Center
- Parents want to know what's going on
- Head Start Center ordered to sanitize and stop preparing food
april.thompson@wreg.com
(Memphis 3/16/2010) They never let us inside the Georgian Hills Head Start in Frayser.
But outside, there was a sure sign of a pest problem, a pest control worker with a trap cage.
"They called me. They were nervous, said they heard something. I don't blame them. I would call me too," said Yuself Elamin, with Annie's Environmental Services.
He told us this was his second visit.
Last week he had trapped a huge 20 pound raccoon in the Head Start kitchen.
"He was nesting over the top of the vents in the top of the stove. I caught him in the cage," says Elamin.
Parents want to know what's going on.
They say the Head Start was closed last Thursday after the raccoon was found, but was back open the next day.
The Head start operators wouldn't let us in the building, but admitted a raccoon had been found.
"They found one last Thursday. They trapped it. That was last week. But nothing was found in here today," says Beverly Hudson, the Head Start Center Supervisor.
She says they've sanitized everything and stopped preparing food.
"We didn't open the kitchen up and our food is being served from Delano Head Start. We are doing precautions because we don't know what's going on ourselves." says Hudson.
"Any animal startled can be dangerous, but fairly they are just nature's creature. They are more scared of us than we are of them," says Elamin.
Now they are laying a trap to see if anything is found this time.
"Set these traps inside the kitchen. But I doubt it, I don't think it's raccoon in there now." says Elamin.
Pest control released the first raccoon back into the woods.
They think it may have been following the smell of food.
The Health Department has also been out to the Georgian Hills Head Start.
It ordered the facility to be sanitized and the kitchen closed until further notice.
