Animal relocation.

[Geena]

Understood. Here colonies of cats are registered and used for various rodent controls. If someone were to pick the cat up, bring it in, they would check it for a microchip and bring it right back to where it came from. They are pretty much protected.

From what I can see in my area, the balance has been disrupted with illegal hunting. People are killing off the coyotes and coyotes at the end of the day pretty much control over populations of rabbits, raccoons and oppossums. Generally speaking, if a coyote is going for a dog in a yard or even a chicken in a coop--their food source has been depleted. If you get rid of coyotes there will be more raccoons, oppossums and skunks. So while relocating might be bad, so is killing. That raccoon that was just killed was a larger animals dinner and don't think that animal isn't going to go for whatever is available(chickens) because humans are messing with the balance of nature. I have no problems with wildlife, they were here first, we took over. They consider us a nusiance. I do not want them eating my chickens and ducks and I lose sleep over this. I am out there almost daily reinforcing this or that. Just the other day I drilled a screw into my finger--that was very unpleasant, but I will be back out there today--looking for more areas that need fixing.

By the same token, all those feral cats are killing off massive amounts of prey animals that could otherwise be consumed by the local wildlife.
I love animals as well, but I'm also a realist. Some misguided animal lovers become so focused on their cause that they fail to see the big picture.

 

[varidgerunner]

There has probably never been a time that human interference was not a part of nature. The species that we have today have evolved along with human interference, have been hunted, etc. We used to be much worse. Doubt that illegal coyote hunting has much impact on the overall population (if it even exists). Massive government poison control operations and extensive bounty systems seemed to only increase their population. Nature is never in balance. There is no such thing. If extensive agriculture and urban networks seem bad to you now, imagine a time that we didn't have those things. We used the tools at our disposal for our survival, always, namely a couple pieces of flint and a stretch of dry weather. Catch the wind right, start a fire and then eat all the dead animals until they got too stinky. Move to the next valley and repeat. You didn't think the megafauna went extinct by having spears hurled at them did you? Man has been slaughtering animals and altering the landscape since we have been around. Some species have thrived because of it. Feral cats for instance, pigs are another. Some have suffered, but it is impossible to undo at this point. Killing a problem raccoon, or a coyote is not going to impact either species. Moving a raccoon that carries rabies into an area inhabited by endangered kit foxes could very well impact that species. I don't provide any protection for the majority of my chickens. Predators do me a favor when they kill my birds, they find flaws that I might not. If one wears out his welcome, his visiting hours are restricted. But I don't cart my problem to someone else, or cause an animal to suffer needlessly while trying to find food and shelter in unfamiliar surroundings.

 

[lcwmt]

That was my thought as well, with that amount of damage I would expect to see some lacerations to the dog's face as well... did someone see a raccoon do this, or was it just an assumption?

Poor thing. My understanding and experience is this:
If the dog or cat is attacking or fully engaged with another critter, injuries will be to the head, neck, ears and forelegs.
If the dog/cat is trying to avoid conflict and gets nailed, injuries are to the hind end, hind quarters.
The dog in the photo looks like it was trying to get away from something. But what?

 

[centrarchid]

I use my dogs as deterrents. I would never allow them to go after a raccoon. I would not put them in that position. We don't have a routine and I feel this is keeping them on the other side if the fence. Sometimes I'm out there at 10, sometimes at Midnite, and we might even go outside at 3 am.

This dog is fighting for its life due to a raccoon Attack and as you can see its not a small dog.

View attachment 1512679

View attachment 1512680

That looks like it got attacked by someone of similar sized, possibly more than one. I see what appear to me paired puncture wounds way too big to be from a raccoon.

 

[llombardo]

Poor thing. My understanding and experience is this:
If the dog or cat is attacking or fully engaged with another critter, injuries will be to the head, neck, ears and forelegs.
If the dog/cat is trying to avoid conflict and gets nailed, injuries are to the hind end, hind quarters.
The dog in the photo looks like it was trying to get away from something. But what?

It was a raccoon

 

[llombardo]

We noticed the come back of raccoons once the coyotes dwindled. I used to hear them every night. I would see them every couple days. Now I see no coyotes, but lots of raccoons.

 

[bobbi-j]

We have lots of coyotes and lots of raccoons. The coyotes will eat smaller animals like mice, voles, rabbits, pheasants, ducks, and of course, chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

When there was a good market for raccoon fur, there was a lot of hunting in winter, and fewer raccoons. Now that's not the case, and we don't have wolf packs in most of the US, and they have flourished.
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

I agree.