Shooting baby predators. Is it wrong?

[aprophet]

Quote:
I do not weed my flower beds until summer so the momma rabbits can raise a few litters without the fox having free rein I also trap the fox and coons and possums during trapping season our preds seem to be healthier here where I am that and our wild duck are doing much better(numbers wise) then they were

 

[teach1rusl]

I haven't read other's replies, because frankly, sometimes some of them tick me off and make me worry about our state of humanity. You did what you felt was right, and it sounds like you took no joy in it. So it sounds humane.
I've posted here in the past about some baby raccoons hanging out around here, and I did not kill them - I was soliciting (non lethal) methods of discouraging them. And while I'm sure they're probably around the area as adults now (assuming they haven't been killed by a car or something else), I haven't seen hide nor hair of them since last year. Had they been attacking my chickens, I would have killed them. I don't believe in relocating them, it's either live and let live, or a quick, humane death. On the other hand, while I was trapping feral cats for spay/neuters in a neighbor's barn a few summer's back, I trapped a baby coon. I'd known there was a family of coons living in that barn, but hadn't given it a second thought. That baby was shot because I knew the owner of the barn had been trying to get those coons out, so I figured we would handle it in a more humane way that they might have.
I'm a live and let live kind of person unless an animal (including wondering dogs) is actively going after my own...

 

[Clay Mudd]

Quote:
Well said. When I see people advocating "trap and relocate", I think, "Oh, nice. You're going to come dump a now trap-wise raccoon on MY road for ME to deal with. Gee, thanks!" There's a reason relocating wild animals is illegal most places.

IMO, the best place to "release" a trapped predator is on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

 

[manybirds]

it was the rite thing to do.

 

[mrpekinduck]

Good job you did the right thing. It might upset people so dont tell anyone but you would be killing them in a few months anyway.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
Well said. When I see people advocating "trap and relocate", I think, "Oh, nice. You're going to come dump a now trap-wise raccoon on MY road for ME to deal with. Gee, thanks!" There's a reason relocating wild animals is illegal most places.

IMO, the best place to "release" a trapped predator is on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

I relocate them to the Canadian fur auctions

 

[juliawitt]

We believe in a humane quick 'bullet' to predators. My only problem is with the babies. I'm a soft touch. Baby coons hurt me to shoot. We are fortunate to have conservation center which grows corn (agricultural testing area) about 10 miles away. We live trap and if the trapped predator is humble and nonaggressive we take to the conservation center. No houses anywhere around for miles. I know that some states have laws about releasing predators, but since I have never seen anyone around this giant cornfield, I haven't felt the need to research the laws for my area. We also spray a small dot of pink paint on the back of the little coons. Just in case they show back up. So far, no repeat offenders have been found. This has been my solution for my soft heart. I am fortunate that I haven't had a coon attack my girls, probably because we trap frequently. So hopefully, none of my relocated baby coons have developed a liking for eggs and caused any problems for anyone else. I have visions of the little coons living happily in this corn field. Probably bad of me, but darn they sure are cute.......Grown up coons go to that beautiful rainbow bridge where they frolic happily. My husband assures my that I am feeding the bobcats with the babies we release, but at least my soft heart doesn't know about it!

 

[dainerra]

more than likely, you are leaving them out there to starve to death. If an area can support raccoons, there are already some living there and they aren't going to let a newcomer move in without a fight. And, being babies, they have ZERO chance of being able to win a territory. So now you have an injured baby raccoon with no home, no food, and possibly serious injuries.

Trapping and relocating is illegal almost everywhere because it spreads disease - it actually caused the HUGE rabies outbreak in the NE in the 1980s. Coons trapped in another state (GA?) were brought into the area for a huge coon hunt. Unfortunately, some of the animals were rabid. Of course, you are also assuming that the agricultural testing area doesn't have traps and euthanize all the coons in the area. Or use them for testing purposes? Or??? I doubt that the company testing the seed wants raccoons eating all of the research.

I find it funny that so many people (not necessarily the poster above) think that it's cruel to shoot a predator, but have no problem with them dieing a slow painful death from disease/injuries/starvation as long as they don't have to know about it. It's the same mentality behind people who drop off stray dogs and cats. "Oh they will wander to a farm and live a happy life in the country." when in reality, they starve, get hit by a car, or shot by farmers.

 

[GAchick]

S.S.S. The only thing you should have done differently was to NOT tell your friend. If raccoons were an endangered species, it might be different. Better the coon babies taking a dirt nap, than you pickling up the be-headed remains of your livestock/babies/next meal.

 

[Bill A]

Shoot first and ask questions later.

Bill