Why drowning should not be part of your predator management plan.....

[dacjohns]

Did I read that correctly? The SPCA has law enforcement authority in that county.

 

[AinaWGSD]

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I think anyone who has ever come close to drowning themselves would strongly disagree with this statement. While I agree that drowning is probably slightly more humane than starvation (neither are an acceptable option IMO), I personally would far rather be shot multiple times or poisoned than drowned. Drowning may be easier for a person to do than shooting (dump the trap in a rain barrel, cover it with a lid, and walk away so you don't have to watch the animal die), but it is not in any way humane. And before anyone points out that predators are not humane when they kill our chickens, let me point out the base word for humane.

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

Gasing them is legal humane and alot faster then drowning anyhow.

 

[TomG]

What is a humane way to get rid of a skunk in an urban or suburban setting? I have never had to deal with that but I'm guessing that lethal injection is out of the question. You can't shoot them in town. You can't drive them to the country for release or to shoot. It would be horrific to throw a tarp over them for a week and let them die of dehydration. Your county or city most likely has no money to help you out in any way. I've read where people hook up a trap to the tailpipe of a car, is that better than drowning? Do any of you want to carry around a trap that contains a skunk? I don't know what is the best thing to do, and I'm not taking sides on this issue. Perhaps one of you inventor types can come up with a live trap that can quickly and humanely kill what is caught once it's been determined that it's not the neighbors cat. I have no answers.

 

[redhen]

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Then you shouldnt trap the animal in the first place, if you dont have the means to dispatch it humanely.

 

[theFox]

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Put a tarp over the trap, take it to the local SPCA and leave it on their doorstep.

 

[silkydragon]

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lol the killing livetrap

 

[Judy]

What bothers me here is, once again, government in areas they should not be wasting their time with, or messing with us about. If it is OK to kill the squirrel then there is something a little crazy about legislating how it should or should not be done. The man was not drowning them for fun or because he is a serial killer in the making (I assume.)

I'm not saying it's OK or not to kill squirrels, drowning is or is not a good idea, etc. It's the legislating this stuff that drives me nuts.

 

[TomG]

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Then you shouldnt trap the animal in the first place, if you dont have the means to dispatch it humanely.

True enough. My question was "what is humane". What do you do if skunks live under your deck? Do you live with it because a humane way to end it is unknown? I'm not advocating drowning. I'm only asking "what can a decent person do?"

 

[calista]

Whoa, that couple seriously needs to see a marriage counselor together! I'd imagine after this development, it will be a divorce lawyer instead.

Predator dispatch methods are an individual decision and best kept in the SSS mode or, in this case, the DSS mode if you use water instead of a firearm. Each state would investigate and choose to prosecute this type of situation differently.

I refer you to Ohio State's Department of Natural Resources for a lesson on water trapping using three different types of drowning traps:

http://dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/9/pdf/chpt9.pdf

Using a 55-gallon drum in lieu of discharging an illegal firearm might be the only choice many people have. They should not be castigated for that choice, IMHO.