AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Now, a real "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" moment. But instead of Washington, it's Topeka. And instead of trying to get the government to buy some land for a boy's camp, well, the everyman of our next story is petitioning his elected representatives for something a little different. We'll let Rose Conlon of member station KMUW take it from here.
ROSE CONLON, BYLINE: In front of a panel of lawmakers in a Kansas legislative committee room, Stephen Kaspar rose to speak about a matter dear to his heart. For the past four years, he's been feeding and training raccoons in his neighborhood.
STEPHEN KASPAR: It is the highlight of my life. These are the things that you do when you become an empty nester. You start playing with raccoons in the backyard.
CONLON: Having a pet raccoon is legal in at least a handful of states, but not Kansas. And with the help of a lawmaker who had a raccoon companion as a child, Kaspar is determined to change that.
KASPAR: It's like any other exotic breed. We have exotic cats that are legal, servals, chelseas, parrots, ferrets, sugar gliders.
CONLON: He's not talking about bringing wild raccoons inside, but his bill would allow people to buy domesticated raccoons from licensed breeders. They'd need to complete a course on raccoon care, keep their pets up to date on vaccines and give them their own room or enclosure. But several veterinarians at the hearing, including some who are lawmakers, were not on board. They talked about risks with rabies and distemper. State Representative Duane Droge said he knows from personal experience that raccoons are unruly.
DUANE DROGE: I had a roommate in veterinary school that had one that just took over the refrigerator. It would hide until you opened the refrigerator door and then it'd take over the refrigerator, and you couldn't even go in the kitchen.
CONLON: After the hearing, I called Kaspar, who works in sales in the Kansas City area. He says raccoons are victims of misinformation.
KASPAR: They are extremely intelligent. They problem-solve. They are phenomenal little creatures. But then there's the other part of it is, when you really get to know them, they are the most affectionate, goofy little things on the face of the earth.
CONLON: He feeds them fruit and vegetables, and in videos online, marshmallows out of his hand.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KASPAR: Come here, sweetheart. You want this? Do you want this? Of course, you do.
CONLON: He says it all started on the back deck of his suburban home with one raccoon. His name was Robbie.
KASPAR: I could go out at 6 in the morning, and he'd hang around. And I'd have my coffee in my hand, and I'd yell, Robbie, Robbie. And here he'd come, right up the stairs. He wanted some treats and toys. And he would play for a little bit, and then he was on his way.
CONLON: The bill has been opposed by the state health department and was not voted on in the committee. Kaspar says he knows the push to legalize pet raccoons will be an uphill battle.
KASPAR: There's been some naysayers, but I would tell you that, overwhelmingly, this is a very popular movement. So it's not going away.
CONLON: Whatever happens, Kaspar says he is not giving up.
For NPR News, I'm Rose Conlon in Wichita, Kansas.
(SOUNDBITE OF GUY CLARK SONG, "RAGGEDY ANN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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