MAKE RACCOONS LEGAL IN ALABAMA

Hi, my name is Hannah King. I was recently arrested TWICE for having pet raccoons. I’m trying to get the law changed in the state of Alabama that allows people to have pet raccoons, as long as you get them neutered/fixed (so you don’t plan on selling them) AND as long as you get them proper shots (such as rabies, kennel cough, and worming). My raccoons were basically my children. One of them was 5 years old and the other two were just over a year. They were just like cats. They ate cat food and used the liter box. They were never aggressive towards anyone.

Here’s my story on how I was arrested.
I was actually leaving my house to go shopping on a Thursday afternoon when they state game warden pulled up. He asked me to get out of the vehicle, I did. He then proceeded to tell me that he knew I had raccoons and that I needed to hand them over. I told him that since my dad was not home he’d need to come back in the morning to get them. Late Thursday night, I had found a rehabber in my area that said they would take them and eventually introduce them to the wild. The game warden himself told my father that my babies would be killed and tested for rabies if handed over. Friday morning the game warden called me and told me that he had two warrants out for my arrest and I asked him where I could turn myself in at. He told me that I couldn’t. I was pulled over Saturday night and arrested. The two charges were for having prohibited wildlife. After taking care of those charges, I got another phone call. He had put out two more warrants. One for tampering with physical evidence and the other was obstruction of government justice. As soon as he put those warrants out I turned myself in. I am now dealing with fines and multiple court appearances. I’m 20 years old and have four different misdemeanor charges on my record all because I was caring for wild animals.

On another note, I do have a GREAT lawyer who is helping me fight this in court. I just want the law changed. I want to be able to bring my babies back home.