Trapped raccoon

[Xtina]

So, the marauder that killed my buff orpington last week showed up again last night and got trapped. At the time when I set out the trap, with the sound of the horrific ordeal still loud in my mind, I was sure I wouldn't have any problem killing the perpetrator when I caught it. But this morning, when I saw the tiny little raccoon huddled up in the cage, I sure felt differently.

I'm still ready to recognize that this animal must be put down. And that I have to keep trapping raccoons until they realize that my chicken run is no place to play. I can't risk them infecting my chickens or other pets with their diseases, and I sure don't want to lose a dog in a raccoon fight.

But before the poor beast in the trap is disposed of, please, can some one on here tell me that there's no humane release option available? I know I can't release them out of the city because they will transfer their diseases to the animals out there. And I know I can't unleash him on another neighborhood in the city. And I know that relocated raccoons tend to be killed by the area's existing raccoon population within a short time after relocation. The way I see it, this is a doomed raccoon, as is every subsequent raccoon I catch. This does not make me feel good at all, so I'm just asking if there is an option I haven't heard about.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Lots of you are making this much more difficult then it has to be....

The simplest solution is a high powered pellet gun. It's legal where standard firearms are not permitted to be discharged. They are also available relatively inexpensivelly at tractor supply or even Walmart.

They have enough power to kill any animal that can fit into a box trap. One shot just in front of the ears center of the head and it's done, instantly.

Bags and lighter fluid, CO2 gas, barrels or water, they are all not needed. Dead is dead, tourtière is different. I don't see how bags and gas are more humane than an instant lights out, I also don't understand how building a gas chamber to kill critters in helps you feel better about it.

If you set a trap you need to be able to finish the job. The only way a problem animal comes out of a trap is dead, end of story. If you don't like it don't set the trap. Remember no one else deserves dealing with a animal you decide to take for a drive and let go.

 

[jak2002003]

Thank goodness I don't live in America with gun shots going off all the time and no one blinking an eye!!!

My advise is if you are having predator problems... house your birds in a SECURE, WELL BUILT coop and run... = no problems ever!

If you want to waste your time trapping animals, loosing birds, killing animals, trapping animals, loosing birds, killing animals... over and over again for years.. then that's your call... maybe you have a lot of time on your hands and nothing better to do?

Myself, I don't want predators to kill my birds... nor do I want to shoot native wildlife that is just trying to survive. I get pleasure from my domestic animals.. and also seeing wildlife about... and I take the effort to keep my animals in predator proof enclosures which are well built and last for years.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Yes.. and this is why you will always have mass shootings, school children shootings, and kids playing with their parents guns and shooting themselves or their parents.. not to mention gun crime, cops shooting people, etc...  

Your are welcome to it... but I prefer to live in a country where most people don't have guns... and the gun crime is CONSIDERABLEY less... and we don't have any mass shootings. 

Also we don't go around shooting animals for fun and recreation.  Guess some people just don't value life very much.. of animals or people. 

Nonsense retoric....

People are dangerous not guns. A gun hurts no worse than a car, or a bomb, or a knife or a shovel. Bad people do bad things, take guns away bad things still happen.

Pro gun does not mean I or "we" don't value life. However "we" still have to eat, I'm not sure what you eat but I provide for my family from my farm. Some predator losses are unavoidable and I'm ok with it.

Sometimes though you have a problem animal that just won't stop. They have to be stopped because if they are not they will kill every last bird I have. There's no reason behind it, they are not doing it because they are hungry. Have you ever seen 100 birds killed in 20 minutes? I have.

This is how I make a living, the birds equal money and food for my children. I should just stand by and let a single raccoon or mink destroy everything I have? I think not!

The problem is this point of view is never considered, it's always the "poor animals". Real life is not Disney world, bad things still happen with or without guns.

 

[redhen]

There is no humane release option. They will suffer if you toss then into an unknown territory..
They will go hungry and thirsty and not have a safe place to sleep... they will have to fight daily with other coons in the area..because they're in THEIR territory...
Its more humane to just shoot them in the head ... its over in an instant.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
No.. it doesnt make me wonder..
it hurts like hell to get fluid in your lungs..

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Why not??
How about you go tie a bag around your head and get back to me on that...
Let me know how it feels...
Thats just as cruel as drowning an animal..

 

[Sunny Side Up]

That certainly is a popular method, and can be very efficient & effective. But the folks I know who use drowning are those who live in areas where you cannot discharge a firearm, and they have neighbors who would report hearing the gunshot. They cannot risk that, and feel that stabbing or blunt trauma is not efficient or effective. Drowning isn't their first choice, but they try to make it more efficient by having the barrel pre-filled with the water. They are the ones who tell me that the raccoons struggle for only 30-60 seconds before going limp. They wish it would take even less time, but feel it's the best option available to them.

 

[bobbi-j]

Here's the thing: Here in the USA, some people own guns, some don't. We all have the right to own guns or not own them. In the right hands, guns are perfectly safe. In the wrong hands (like a drunk driver), a car is as dangerous a weapon as a gun. A gun is a tool, just like any other tool you have. If used right, it's safe. If not, it's dangerous - just like a hammer, table saw, chain saw, kitchen knives... All very safe when properly used. All dangerous if not properly used.

If a toddler gets ahold of a gun and shoots himself, it's still due to human error - much the same as if that same toddler ran out into the street and got hit by a car, got into some toxic chemical and died of poisoning, or fell into a pool and drowned. All human error as none of these things would have happened if our fictitious toddler had been properly supervised by the adults responsible for him. I found this little chart that lists the top 10 causes of death by age group from the CDC. Interestingly, while guns are listed, they are not the #1 cause of death in any age group.

http://www.cdc.gov/injury/images/lc...eaths_unintentional_injury_2014_1040w740h.gif

I would like to know, CrazyTalk, how you figure "almost no one is" a responsible gun owner. Could you please show me where you got that information? Also, who do you consider a "responsible gun owner?" Really, I'd like to know. Our kids grew up with guns in the house and were taught from a very young age how to use them, and that they weren't toys. They took Firearms Safety classes, and to this day still enjoy target shooting. Our family provides meat for our tables by using guns to harvest deer, ducks, pheasants and geese.

Getting off my soapbox now....

 

[chicks4kids]

I don't see any option. You trapped it for a reason and the hardest part is going through with your intentions. But once you do, and every time thereafter, it gets easier especially when you know that is best all around for everybody.

Even though it's saddening, it needs to be done. Unless you have a state park or refuge that will take the critter for you.