MONTREAL — A Montreal man who says he is on the run from provincial authorities for housing a raccoon has taken his pet for a rabies vaccination. Louka Berman took the raccoon named Pepper to meet the owner of a refuge north of Montreal on Monday and get the vaccination. Quebec is currently dealing with an outbreak of raccoon rabies, although it has not yet reached Montreal. Pepper went viral online in September after Berman posted a video of himself riding a bike with the raccoon on his back. He says provincial environmental enforcement officers have visited his home with a warrant to seize the raccoon, but have not managed to capture the mammal. The provincial environment ministry did not immediately respond to questions sent on Monday morning. Berman says he has collected thousands of dollars through online fundraising campaigns since he first started posting about Pepper and hopes to use the money to build a wildlife sanctuary in the city. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2026. Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press
