Let's talk "relocation"

[centrarchid]

How many predators / pests have you people actually killed? I have killed many for many reasons. It is not a process I enjoy and take great lengths to prevent the need for such an activity.


To be callus is indicative of a problem that is at least as bad as the "bleeding hearts" you like to make fun of.

 

[21hens-incharge]

You asked so I will tell you. I have dispatched 4 in all my years with chickens and waterfowl. Three were raccoons and one was a fox. I personally understand the need for them in the ecosystem and made attempts to discourage them PRIOR to deciding nothing else was an option.
I do not take ending a life for any reason lightly.
I am neither a bleeding heart nor do I make fun of people who have strong feelings toward critters.

The fact of the matter is that the raccoons were destroying my duck flock. Not by one duck here and there but by 3 to 5 a week.
The fox was trapped in a trap set for raccoons and was visibly ill. He was very thin and patchy in the fur. I did call the division of wildlife about the fox and was told to dispatch it.

Something that people should know about rabies it that birds cannot catch it. It is a mammal only disease.

 

[aart]

How many predators / pests have you people actually killed? I have killed many for many reasons. It is not a process I enjoy and take great lengths to prevent the need for such an activity.

To be callus is indicative of a problem that is at least as bad as the "bleeding hearts" you like to make fun of.

I've taken out about a half dozen nuisance animals(coons, woodchucks, ground squirrels, rabbits) in the 15 years I've lived rural....not counting dozens of mice, snap and bucket trapped.
I've chased/harassed/fenced off many more.
I don't enjoy it either, but found it necessary. It may appear callus, pragmaticism often does.

 

[shortgrass]

I'm one of those "bleeding hearts" you're so fond of I guess..

I was crawling over a shotgun in the cab from the day my feet hit soil. First, my dad had one for coyotes; most of the time a warning shot worked, sometimes not. A shovel for rattlers, dispatched on the spot, every time, no questions asked... I got to practice on Starlings when I was 8, and it made me nauseous. I killed a rabbit with a bb gun on accident and i cried. This was last year.

I was raised on the range in the canyons... Asking if I've ever killed anything is like asking if I have 10 fingers lol, I was protecting livestock.... I don't like killing things, in fact, I hate it! But it as how I was raised. I was the one shooing skunks out of the barn before my dad could find them and think they were rabid and shoot them.

These coons are making me bitter! I was actually PROUD to have 4 dead baby coons in my yard, and it made me sick to feel happy about snuffing out LIFE, but I had 7 ducks that I loved and that RELOCATED coon came here and fed her kits MY ducks.

I WON'T kill them unless I'm going to eat them... I hunt, my DH dispatches.

 

[shortgrass]

Something that people should know about rabies it that birds cannot catch it. It is a mammal only disease.

I thought that was important, so I'll quote it

Thank GOODNESS it's not.... I'd have gone postal by now....

Scenario from up the road.. I don't nt have cats (well I have one, very vaccinated one), but here's why...the rabies....

A fellow rancher found a few dead cats. No biggie, farm, dead cats happen... Then a dead coon...and another...then a sick coyote pup that had to be euthanized.... Here's where it gets hairy...and ETHICAL comes into play...

This farmer was TOLD, NO, ASKED nicely to PLEASE takev the coyote to the vet and have an autopsy done; somethings wrong. This was 2 weeks ago. He didn't. He burned the pup and the coons, and the cats... Since then, I was asked to take orphaned kittens after the mom died too (i should have said yes, just to be able to get the cats tested) but I refused, not taking anything sick to MY place.....

Yesterday, the final tally on dead cats us above 60. He has 5 barn cats left. And a serious problem. 60 DEAD CATS. (Yes, I told him to cull the cats but most of them were dying anyway)

And he won't call wildlife because guess what the division does around here when outbreaks occur? They shut it DOWN. Your ENTIRE farm. He doesn't want people in his hair and bugging his sheep and I'm trying to curb this and its too much for me to figure out on my own.

He's losing HIS livestock too, but not from being EATEN by them, but DISEASED...

It's out if control with these coons and local farmers can't do much about it other than turning a random body in to Wildlife, and a lot of them don't even bother...

 

[shortgrass]

Continuing on, while awaiting results from tests on cats....

Can we discuss why this man had to dispatch all of his beloved felines in order to curtail the spread of a pathogen brought on by overpopulation?

Why are some states, like AZ, so strict, where others seem to put huge decisions in a few landowners' hands?

Here's what the warning is for residents of a rabies infected area...

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/ag...livestock-owners-cautioned-about-rabid-skunks

Watching vectors for disease, skunks and bats are what get tested here.. Relocating in this situation can be a FELONY.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...WVxD2A&usg=AFQjCNEtGRfkU2pSffNGPSSO1WACd9NFQg

We need more states... Alphabetical maybe?

 

[IceAngel]

I thought that was important, so I'll quote it

Thank GOODNESS it's not.... I'd have gone postal by now....




This farmer was TOLD, NO, ASKED nicely to PLEASE takev the coyote to the vet and have an autopsy done; somethings wrong. This was 2 weeks ago. He didn't. He burned the pup and the coons, and the cats... Since then, I was asked to take orphaned kittens after the mom died too (i should have said yes, just to be able to get the cats tested) but I refused, not taking anything sick to MY place.....

Yesterday, the final tally on dead cats us above 60. He has 5 barn cats left. And a serious problem. 60 DEAD CATS. (Yes, I told him to cull the cats but most of them were dying anyway)

And he won't call wildlife because guess what the division does around here when outbreaks occur? They shut it DOWN. Your ENTIRE farm. He doesn't want people in his hair and bugging his sheep and I'm trying to curb this and its too much for me to figure out on my own.

He's losing HIS livestock too, but not from being EATEN by them, but DISEASED...

Why are you worrying about rabid raccoons when there are 60 infected cats in your area? Who in their right mind has 60 cats anyways......every rat or mouse or ground squirrel that they bite will spread the disease. If the cats have all died you have a major rabies out break on your hands. CALL THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

 

[shortgrass]

 Why are you worrying about rabid raccoons when there are 60 infected cats in your area?  Who in their right mind has 60 cats anyways......every rat or mouse or ground squirrel that they bite will spread the disease.  If the cats have all died you have a major rabies out break on your hands.  CALL THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. 

I think you might have missed my last post; we had to send off heads from cats, and had to catch coons and skunks to compare to, so still waiting to hear from our local authorities on what happened here.

And 60 cats spread over 5 homesteads on 2500 acres is nothing lol, most of them get spayed or neutered but that many cats is actually essential for mouse control on a huge spread like that.

Worrying about relocated rabid coons? You betcha. Especially since its ILLEGAL here. For a reason.

Those reasons are what is being discussed; how an uncontrolled population that is diseased can wreak havoc.

 

[Farmer Brian]

Shortgrass, In CT it is illegal to relocate Skunks, Raccoons and Fox. They are considered rabies vector species. Most people don't know or care of the law though, so many relocate anyway. Beaver may not be relocated either due to their destructive nature. The other species, i.e. opossums, squirrels, woodchucks can be relocated to state forests or private land with permission from landowner.

In RI, all species removed from capture site must be euthanizd, except snakes and turtles. This is so a potentially diseased animal isn't moved to a potentially clean environment. Again, most RI residents don't know of these laws and do it anyway.

I work as a nuisance wildlife control operator/specialist in both states and have to follow these guidelines to maintain my NWCO/S license.

 

[shortgrass]

Shortgrass, In CT it is illegal to relocate Skunks, Raccoons and Fox. They are considered rabies vector species. Most people don't know or care of the law though, so many relocate anyway. Beaver may not be relocated either due to their destructive nature. The other species, i.e. opossums, squirrels, woodchucks can be relocated to state forests or private land with permission from landowner.

In RI, all species removed from capture site must be euthanizd, except snakes and turtles. This is so a potentially diseased animal isn't moved to a potentially clean environment. Again, most RI residents don't know of these laws and do it anyway.

I work as a nuisance wildlife control operator/specialist in both states and have to follow these guidelines to maintain my NWCO/S license.

Wow, I am greatly appreciative of your input! Now, please don't get irritated at my tendency to pick peoples' brains lol...

So you actually deal with this EVERY day, in EVERY aspect, so you understand what the problem here is; that's so helpful

That's what the issue is for me; its illegal and outright dangerous to relocate something when you don't know the consequences.. The ripple effect..

Reminds me, tests came back. 4/5 cats positive for rabies AND distemper, so the cats needed culled anyway. If the distemper wouldn't have taken them half out, they would be spreading rabies right now. 3 coons were all we could catch. All 3 positive for rabies. 2 skunks. No rabies, skunks were clean.( surprising, I would have bet money on the skunks being positive)

Really all WE can do here is keep it at bay and watch for it, vaccinate, and if it shows up, cull.

I'm concerned that more people don't UNDERSTAND the legalities and reasons for them.

Do you find yourself with a lot of issues like this in CT, or does it manage to contain itself? I try to rely on good ol survival of the fittest, but with something like rabies, even the fit don't survive

Edit* autocorrect