Trapped raccoon

[Carrie Lynn]

Sorry if I ofend, but drowning is cruel.
Has anyone ever used engine starter, the kind that contains ether?
I have heard that it works well when chickens need to be humanely killed.
Perhaps that would work on raccoons also. Certainly sounds more humane.

 

[ellieroo]

Quote:
Please don't release it. It will probably end up in my yard. Relocation is never a good idea for the reasons already mentioned in this post.

Guess things have changed since I worked wildlife rehabilitation. The goal was to return the animal/bird to the correct habitat but guess theres not much of that left.

and 50 million reasons to kill them.

 

[J.Pryce]

I don't know if the gassing still works, maybe it just takes longer due to cattalytic converters on vehicles nowadays, but if it does work that is probably the most humane way of doing it

 

[aprophet]

Professional ADC trappers use CO2 chambers. I have been asphyxiated once by nitrogen and once bad by freon . I have had co workers go under by monoxide they felt /described the going to sleep no pain that I did, I have been drowned twice once in a pool once in the ocean coming back was painful going was not , I have been electrocuted three times once while wet that is painful very!!!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
Depending on how long ago that was, yes, perhaps things HAVE changed. Wildfire fighters used to be dispatched to extinguish every fire, now they allow some to continue in a controlled burn. Protocol may have changed for certain animal species, especially those whose populations have become artificially inflated. Tell us more about your work, it must have been fascinating.

 

[Xtina]

Quote:
Please don't release it. It will probably end up in my yard. Relocation is never a good idea for the reasons already mentioned in this post.

Guess things have changed since I worked wildlife rehabilitation. The goal was to return the animal/bird to the correct habitat but guess theres not much of that left.

and 50 million reasons to kill them.

Everything I've read says they've moved away from relocating wildlife because it causes problems and doesn't result in a good situation for the relocated animal. They don't want forest wildlife catching city diseases, and I can see how that would spread through the whole food chain. What animals are natural predators for raccoons? Here, I can't imagine anything but a cougar would be able to kill a raccoon and I bet they don't want cougars catching killer ringworm or rabies. Anyway, if we release the raccoon somewhere outside the neighborhood, he'll just be killed by that area's raccoons...that's the line the Audubon Society takes on it. There's no recourse but to kill and to do it in the most humane way possible. I'm going to look into these CO2 chambers and the veterinary gas chambers. Thanks for the suggestions.

My trap is set for tonight, baited with marshmallows. I won't go the gassing route that we tried today, but I will strive for a humane end for these predators.

 

[mxpres]

Dora'smom :

I don't think there is anything humane about drowning an animal. The fight for life while submerged goes on whether you care to think about it or not.

If an animal is in a trap,its fighting for its life,killing a predator is never easy or pretty,shooting an animal in a cage is messy,not very pretty to see,but if you want to have chickens you have to face the facts that if you release a raccoon you have educated another predator and makes it much harder to trap again,thus causing some chicken owner more grief ,either way you choose to do the deed the predator is just as dead,,I have hunted and taken animals for food for 50 years,I have no problems with killing an animal..I don't think they are an easy ,painless method,,we all have our different ways and opinions on how to deal with predators,,good luck with your decision,I realize its hard to do​

 

[Xtina]

You're right that dead is dead, but I do think that the method is important. Something that my "mother of a small infant" brain is too tired to intelligently articulate, about how that's what separates people from animals, or at least good people from bad people. The raccoon didn't have any pity for my chicken, but it turns out, he was a more humane killer than we were today. We'll get better with practice.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Quote:
That is exactly what I do therefore I never have to deal with a trapped critter. I have lived rural for many years and kept chickens and lots of other critters. I have never trapped nor will I, I don't need to. We have lots of coons, skunks, possum, fox, coyote etc. My coop is secure and the chickens are locked up every night without fail. There are also a few strands of strategically placed hot wire as added discouragement. All food is securely stored away. It's really not that hard to do.

The idea of trapping until the critters "learn to stay away" is not logical. After all the dead critter can't exactly run back to it's homies and tell them your place is bad news!

You can trap until the day you die, there will always be another predator, over and over and you will continue to loose birds you spent a lot of time and money raising. I just don't see the point of spending all that time and effort when a good coop built once will solve the problem.

I know these critters pass thru my place on occasion, I see their tracks, dog got skunked a while back.

But there's never a meal here so they keep going and I really couldn't care less if they pass by in the night.

Xtina, I agree with you 100% about properly dispatching a trapped animal when you do have one. When it has to be done it should be done as quickly and humanely as possible and I personally don't think that includes drowning. I've seen that and I think it's far from quick or humane.

 

[Xtina]

This was the case for me until a coop malfunction that needed repair didn't get seen to immediately. I took the risk and my BO paid for it. I've learned my lesson and have a renewed dedication to locking up my ladies, so I feel reasonably confident that the coop is predator proof. But now that they know that there is chicken to be had here, I don't want them camping out or making a home in my filbert tree. And I do think that its brethren are likely to know that it got trapped, because I've seen my neighborhood's raccoons always walking in packs or at least pairs. If one got trapped, he was probably with a buddy. It only has to happen a few times before the local raccoon gang figures out it's not worth it to come into this yard. I hope. Especially if there's nothing there for them to gain.