Oftentimes raccoons roam neighborhoods looking for food. These animals make regular circuits on a nightly basis, posing a threat for dogs who are let out into yards for bathroom breaks before bedtime. Even when no garbage or pet food is present, they will still prowl in search of food. Many times, homeowners will call animal or pest control...only to discover that by law, these animals cannot be relocated and must be destroyed.
Purchasing your own humane device for live trapping and release poses an insurmountable dilemma. It is a violation of many state and/or local laws to release them into the wild, even into forest preserves. It is claimed that they pose a threat of disease to resident populations. If caught releasing them, a person faces thousands of dollars in fines and possible jail time.
There is no way to save the lives of these innocent creatures whose only crime is to be born into an urban setting. They should not be doomed to die simply because they are not compatible with pet ownership. Please allow live trapping and release of these animals into appropriate wild settings and spare them from being shot, drowned, gassed, killed by heartstick injection, and other means of "disposal."
They deserve to live in the wild as nature intended.
