wanted to get some input from you guys. Most of my work is in the city and its about a 45 minute drive to release at a state managed property. And a majority of my work is coons and groundhogs and nobody with farms I know would want them released on their property. I feel like I have lost several jobs recently (6-8 jobs) do to me telling the customers that I euthanize. I usually tell them I charge a relocation fee if that's what they want me to do. Kinda wanted to get some thoughts on the subject. Thanks Derek

Adding: customers are asking me directly what I do with the trapped animals. I don't want to lie. I say that we typically humanely euthanize. Right I say this, a huge percentage of people say they will "have to call me back" and never do.

We do live in a very liberal city.

Try saying: "You have a choice, put down or re-locate at an additional cost".

What do your laws say about relocation? In NC, we can not relocate. We can only release on the same property where caught or dispatch.

If relocation is legal, it still is not necessarily a good idea. Critters are territorial and the relocated critter will end up having to fight for his survival in a new location anyway. Many times the relocated critter winds up dead anyway. Relocation can also spread disease to otherwise healthy populations.

Your clients typically do not have a clue what happens in nature. Sometimes a good explanation helps them accept reality. If not, let them continue to deal with the problem. When it gets bad enough, their attitude will change.

Ever had anyone refuse to allow the skunk under their house to be removed because it would be dispatched?

I keep it very simple here when they ask.
I tell them I follow the rules that are set by the State of Ohio.

As long as relocation is legal and you are not personally opposed to it, add it to your list of services and charge appropriately.



Yes, I have.

In Wisconsin we can do whatever we want. This is how I feel; does it take more time and money to open the cage and wave goodbye or whatever method you use to kill them and then dispose of the body?

Yeah Paul for me it does take more of both just because I will have 1.5 hours in drive time to relocate to a approved place. Most people i know wouldnt want any groundhogs or coons dropped of on their farms. We have one company here that sells as the relocate all animals. Guess we will have to come up with a really tactful way of explaining why we euthanize.

Derek

(I intended these to be suggestions for talking points for the customer to decide what they want)

Spreads disease
Animals dumped with no idea of dangers, where to find food/water, shelter
Animals are territorial, will likely have to fight for anything
Screws up the Bio-diversity, but can give a boost to it as well

C,mon Big Bob, Animals with obvious disease wind up in the dumpster. If relocation spread disease we would have been out of business years ago instead of adding more help!
If any animal is too dumb to find food and water, he will become food for some other animal which is what happens in nature and you know it.
Animals are territorial in town. Out here in the country they need only move down a few blocks. Universities have collared raccoons and some have traveled nearly 10 miles before settling down. All these scarred up animals from fighting are a figment of somebody's imagination.
We have at least 24 new species of animals and birds in our area that were no where to be found when I was a kid. No beaver, coyote, red squirrels, flying squirrels, otter, just to name a few. How's that for bio -diversity?

Spot on ^^^^

If spread of disease is really that easily done. Then it would be out of control as so many homeowners capture animals themselves and take them to the local state land or dead end country road and release them

Sure, the obviously sick ones are/should be killed, BUT, Rabies, Distemper, Parvo, etc, all have an incubation period. Which is why many states prohibit transport release, and many others discourage it.
Right now in Mo we several tree diseases that are spreading rapidly and the state is asking folks to not transport firewood any distance.
All kinds of vermin are being transported to the US by international shipping.
CWD, Hemoragic Fever are rampant in some places, bad enough that some areas are being scoured and all deer killed.

Why does this always come up? You do what your state requires of you or you break the law and maybe lose your right to do nuisance work. The why of it does not matter, the state determines the why.

Kurt Temple

Kurt, this comes up because it's an issue that we all have to face.

Many states do allow relocation and for those of us who live in those state, we have to decide whether to offer that service. Just because a state allows it, doesn't mean you have to offer it as a service. Decisions have to be made and thought is required.

And more to the point, as the op has experienced, there is a market for relocation. You can turn away those customers if you want but for many it is something to consider.

Paul, thats simply not true. Can you tell a raccoon that has roundworm on first look? DO you examine the poop of every coon? Spreading disease doesnt mean fatality for all animals in an area, it means an infected population.

Yes that animal may find food or water, but if you relocate 20 raccoons to an area, and the all die within six month due to stupidity it may not seem like a big deal, but what if each of them eats an additional 6 quail nest in the area, resulting in the loss of over 1000 eggs? The displacement for local wildlife is a real concern.

Your rise in animal species is dependant on way more than just reloction and is a much bigger picture to look at, but it does not mean relocation does not have a negative impact when done improperly.

Sure, things alway will balance themselves out, but that doesnt mean we should just do whatever we want.

Look, my answer was only for those of you that have a choice. If your state says you can't relocate, argue with them, not me. I'm really tired of people who have never relocated an animal telling me that I don't know what I'm doing. Some of this stuff is moronic. You don't kill a raccoon because he has round worms; I'm sure most of them do. I am not saying that relocation adds to the population, but it certainly doesn't damage it! Illinois has to kill everything and their population is booming just like ours. What I'm saying is that I find proper relocation saves me time, money, and a clear conscience!
When we tell people we relocate, we do!

The only two animals we can not relocate are coons and skunks. All skunks must be euthanized as they are a rabies vector (that's the rub from DNR). Coons due to the extremely high numbers and associated negative aspects of high numbers (disease, predation, etc).

Technically, coons can be released on the same property where captured within 100 yards of where caught, but that situation rarely arises. One such scenario would be when there is a female with kits in a fireplace damper. Chase the female up the chimney into a chimney trap, reach in and remove the kits. Place them in a box or somewhere outside, and release the female after installing a chimney cap. But that coon will usually take those kits into another home nearby, and eventually leads to a situation where they end up being put down.

We can relocate squirrels, groundhogs, chipmunks, opossums, and basically all of the critters covered under the nuisance regs. Of course we (or I) use lethal traps for muskrats and beavers, as no one wants to pay the extra cost for trapping alive, and it's impossible to find a landowner who will allow them them to be released on their property! Can't release ANY wildlife on public ground of any type.

I run into a couple people each year who refuse to have me take care of the raccoons in their attic or walls as they don't want them killed. No problem with me, there are plenty of people who actually understand the regs and also understand their home is more valuable than the life of a raccoon.

On the flip side.... I never use lethal traps for squirrels (grays 90%) as I find it far more effective to trap them with small cage traps. We can use lethal traps for them, but it's not as effective (time-wise). I have several landowners who allow me to release squirrels on their properties.

I never beat around the bush when people ask me what I do with raccoons or skunks. I share that info on the initial phone call, as it can save you a trip when you arrive and the wife throws a tantrum when you tell them as you're setting up the job.

Now that was an intelligent post. Ron and I see eye to eye on many things and using live traps for squirrels is just one of many. And the only time I would use cages for muskrats is when it saves me time. You also need to remember that we have a built-in disease eliminator in Wisconsin. It's called winter and it should start any day now!
P.S. I did not know about raccoons and skunks being the only non-relocation animals. Thanks for setting me straight, Ron.

I find it interesting how operators in various parts of Illinois handle things. There's no doubt about it, taking a woodchuck our minimum distance of 10 miles and opening the door (at an approved release site) is much easier than euthanizing/shooting and then burying it. Same for squirrels, even though they require a smaller grave!

It's important to consider location, however. 90% of my travels are through rural areas (between cities and towns), many of which I know multiple landowners. My ability to obtain release sites is much easier than others. One of the WCO's in Chicago has two prices for squirrels. One, quite reasonable, is for lethal trapping (using conis). For capturing alive (cage traps) the cost is about 4 times a high. In Chicago and most of Cook County, there are no privately owned properties with suitable habitat for relocation. They would have to drive an hour just to reach a decent area to release. That adds up quick, cost of fuel and travel time.

Fortunately for me, during my daily travels I constantly pass places I have permission for releasing critters, so I don't have any additional costs for relocation. As long as we take them between 10 and 40 miles, we're good to go.