When dealing with animal lovers and animal rights believers, how do you handle them?

I get many calls about squirrels, coons and what not from people who always ask, "What do you do with them when you catch them?". Then when I say "Euthanize" they say "Never mind" or "I'll call you back" This leaves me wondering, "Well? Do you have a problem or not?"

Okay. To understand my frustration here you must first understand that here in North Carolina we have a law that states if the animal is in the order Carnaviora, I MUST euthanize it. No ifs ands or buts. Bobcat, fox, coon, coyote,... If it eats meat, I'm supposed to dispatch it. That's not my rule. That's the LAW.

When it comes to squirrels, gophers and such. I do not like releasing problem animals because I feel that all I'm doing is relocating the problem. The only exceptions I have to this is possum and snakes and such. Then I only release them here, at my home, where they can be beneficial to me.

Anyway... I had a lady who had a problem with a coon tearing into her screened in porch. This lady is a veterinarian so I would think that she should know the dangers in relocating an animal like this. But before I get back over there to collect the coon, she takes it down the road, into the next county and turns it loose!

Had the coon come home with me, I would have tanned the hide and processed the meat for the table.(I waste NOTHING here.)

What would you do in this case? Turn her in? Charge her extra? Do I count this coon on my quarterly report to Wildlife Resources? How do you handle this situation?

Follow your contract...

It is always hit or miss on those jobs.

- Had one that refused to let me kill the raccoon no matter what and I ended up pulling out of that job. Hard to catch a cage shy raccoon that just busts out of a new soffit everytime you positive set the previous soffit. Would of been an easy 220 cure, but she didn't want it. No Thanks!

- Had another customer who cried because she was giving permission to kill the raccoon in her attic. It is not often I have to put down an animal but when I do it always seems to be at a animal lovers house.

On the flip side I had a lady offer to pay me extra if I let her watch me kill a skunk that got her dog 4 nights in a row. I had another customer who would take care of the raccoons first thing in the morning before I showed up and I would have a trap empty and ready for resetting and a raccoon ready for a trash bag.

We have a law which says that it’s illegal to release a pest species onto another person’s property. There’s another one that says it’s both cruel and illegal to release an animal somewhere it doesn’t have a good chance of survival, arguably anywhere outside of its own territory.
I don’t know if these are actual laws where you are but they’re still sensible reasons to give the client.

I think most of us are animal lovers I know I love animals but have a better understanding what goes on in the real animal world and by thinning the Hurd helps the gen population and there prey . I think most understand this . If you don't ducks unlimited has done reserch with federal wildlife in joint reserch and shows how by them hiring trappers in key nesting areas was the key to bring back waterfowl and other non game nesting birds .basicly over population of preditors will kill every ground nested bird then die them selfs leaving little for seed . By thinning out the preditors it leaves a healthy stable population . But anyway your answer is to use oneway doors and lots of sheet metal . Got a friend working on locking cage traps so people can't open the cage traps without a key that could help you to .

Tennessee has a euth law also. Skunks,coon,and k-9's. I have lost jobs in the past because I follow this law and a few companies don't.

By all means, obey the law.

In NH, relocating wildlife is legal and I will gladly do so for a fee.

Like Nate, I absolutely love Wisconsin's wildlife laws. ( Just not its weather in winter ) When a customer asks me "What are you going to do with the animal once you catch it?"

My answer is always the same, "What do you want me to do with it?" Whatever they say, I can accommodate them.

P.S. I have a mink job in a Koi pond where the lady wants to have the mink mounted. It's the largest mink I've ever seen and I want have it mounted too. I told I'd flip her for it. ( If I ever catch it )

Tell the customer you take them to a better place. If the animal is a believer it does go to a better place

I usually like to do what the home owner says and abide by the law as well so sometimes it's tough to convince the best possible solution

x2 I'm not sure if they don't follow it or just lie to the customer. I keep hearing "I had ______ out here and they took that skunk to the park and turned it loose, I KNOW that you don't have to euth them." I just tell them the truth and hope for the best, most of my customers have understood once I tell them about the disease potential or the animal damaging someone else's home.

I know this may sound like an entirely stupid question, but for those of you guys that live in a mandatory kill state, have you ever gotten proof that someone who persisted in illegally letting wild animals loose, ever got prosecuted, and if so what was the fine? Think about it.

I have no idea Paul, but I feel better following the law. Especially with raccoons I just would not feel right knowing that a high percentage end up back in human structures. http://icwdm.org/Publications/pdf/Raccoon/denicolacoonstudy.pdf

I follow the law. In my state, ALL skunks must be put down. Coons put down, turned loose on the same property, or released to a vet/rehabber. Any animals turned loose must have the land owners permission. That includes parks, state forest, road sides etc.

When asked I always tell them that I will be taking the animal to a much more suitable location than their home or property.

When I was on a Coon job where the Couple asked me that, I told them the same, the next day the husband said, "when you told me that you took all animals to a much more suitable location, My whole being lifted"... Wow! Yes he had a yellow beatle with an Obama sticker on it.

I was told it's a $500 fine per critter. Not sure tho and don't wanna find out

Was doing a squirrel job for an older lady once. She ask my helper what we did with the squirrels. He told he we put them dowm, which we do. She said "oh good, I don't want them comming back." I about fell off the ladder.

I knew a guy who worked Chicago area whos bread and butter was telling customers that if he trapped the skunk/raccoon he had to kill it so instead he would just set up one way doors to get them out. Not sure if it was legal but he said his closing rate was about 95% because the customer knew if they called someone else they would end up just killing it.

Not even sure if he is still in business.

I have the option of euthanizing or relocating within some guidlines. I usually tell people I'll do what you want he hasn't done anything to me. I will board him, take him on vacation, pack him lunch and release him,or euthanize him and if I do that I'll eat him or feed him to someone else, give the animal to a trapper for fur.
Their is no welcome wagon in nature the best thing I can do for him and other wildlife is recycle him.
I give them the price of options with feeding someone being the cheapest. I don't know if they agree with my logic or because its the cheapest but it gives them great comfortthat someone is going to eat him.
I also give different prices for the method of trapping. I give them a couple of options and if they give me their options I give them a price for that. I might tell them that that if they feel that strongly about what happens to the skunk under their deck that they might just need to learn to live with him. I'm sure I lose some people but I think I gain some and I feel good about not working for people not willing to share the responsibility of what happens to the animal.

One last thing.
I followed skunk around a barn until he pinned himself behind a peice of plywood where I stuck him with a needle.
The customer asked was he sick and I replied no he was in perfect health. He said was he old and I replied no he was in the prime of his life. He said I'm wanting you to tell me something was wrong with him. I said I know you are but you are going to have to share this with me. The only thing wrong with him was he was living in your barn. You wanted him out and you hired me. Hopfully he won't be at the pearly gates wanting an explanation. That why I try to eat or feed them to someone so I can say at least I ate you. It's also why I don't swim in the ocean because I know other predators don't see anything wrong with killing and eating me. If it happens I have no complaint but I ain't eaten no skunk. So I'll defend myself at the gates because their won't be any lawyers there.
Oh yeah he was a lawyer.
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