"That's great advice. From now on, I'll just blow their brains out."
Sadly,, part of my job is HAVING to dispatch any mammal that's a potential rabies vector. But the State does promote the concept of "Co-existing with wildlife." I spend a lot of time educating people about wildlife AND how to live with them & not having to kill them. Plus,, to actually trap & remove any animal that is causing a problem for homeowners etc,, there is a permit required. I'm an issuing agent for the State in these permits. But to actually issue a "Depredation Permit" I have certain criteria that must be met. And I have to follow up quarterly with reports to the State on all my activity.
Fortunately,, a major percentage of my work is dealing with squirrels & bats. Bats are Federally & State protected,, so they are a "NO KILL" species. But with both of these species,, I handle things to where none are injured or captured. I do not trap either species. I do a preventive home sealant of all the potential places either species might be capable of entering,, and then I install an exclusion device over any active openings. Any animals inside the home are capable of exiting, unharmed, naturally. Then, after a period of time, I return and remove the exclusion device, and seal that area as well.
Opossums are allowed to be relocated, so they get that treatment. BUT,, I must have, in writing permission from the land owner to release it there.
Raccoons which are high on the rabies vector list, as well as being a more aggressive species, are not allowed to be relocated. I have to put them down. And I even have restrictions on the methods I can legally use to dispatch an animal. Yes, shooting them is allowed.
I post this information to hopefully educate folks here,, and maybe save themselves some grief or worse,, legal or civil problems.
A good example I often share with people who feel it's "doing the right thing" by relocating a potential rabies vector is this.
Say you have a raccoon in a cage trap. You are going to "take it down to the creek or woods way" away from your house. On the drive,, you are involved in an accident. You are injured. And lets say an emergency worker tries to help you,, but the raccoon is no monger properly contained and bites the emergency worker. Now,, you are in need of medical care, AND so is the worker. And they may not be able top help you until the raccoon is properly dispatched. Guess who is not only in violation of some game laws,, but is also now liable for the medical care of the emergency worker? And what if your medical needs are critical,, and you die,, yet could have been saved if emergency help could have gotten to you?
Sadly, in this day & age of lawsuits & liability,, you are at fault for trying to "do the right thing" without knowing the legalities or the dangers.
Heck, in my job,, if a bat is found inside the sleeping quarters where someone has been asleep, the bat must be captured & sent for rabies testing. Guess what? I can capture it,, but I will NOT under ANY circumstances transport that bat. I put it in a container, alive, and seal the container. I then give it to the homeowner, AND have them sign a release form that they assume liability for the proper transport & testing of this bat. I also tell them who to call. But to additionally cover my butt legally,, I ALSO call the local Health Dept & the local Animal Control. Those are the (2) places a person can take the bat to for testing.
Just yesterday,, I had an emergency clinic call me about an animal bite. My phone was not immediately available to me,, and all I got was a voicemail. Later, I returned the call, and even though it was after hours by then, I kept the phone playing their recording, (which also said someone would be with me shortly) for 21 minutes. Many of the local agencies know to contact me for advice on animal issues.
Please use my info here to better educate yourself with your State's laws & the potential legal issues you may encounter when dealing with problem animals.