Is it legal to own a pet raccoon in Missouri or Illinois?

A walk down memory lane: 1965 photo of woman with pet raccoon resurfaces online

Susan Harrison was surprised to see a photo of her 16-year-old self appear on social media last week. She was pictured in 1965 walking her pet raccoon down Queen Street.

Is it legal to own a pet raccoon in Missouri or Illinois?

ST. LOUIS - With their mischievous little hands and masked faces, raccoons are quite fascinating mammals to some. Perhaps you've wondered if one might make a good pet. Legally speaking, it's not so simple. Earlier this week, FOX 2 looked closely at Google search trends for "Missouri" and "Illinois," starting with the terms "Is it legal..." For both states, one of the top five suggested searches was "Is it legal to own a raccoon as a pet?" Maybe …