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  • From: "Mike Levine" <mlevine@umich.edu>
  • To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Relocating wildlife
  • Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 19:16:59 -0400

I agree one hundred per cent with what you have said.
I must add however, that in some municipalities it is neither legal to
relocate nor to kill wildlife leaving few options for the urban gardener.
Also, the groundhog was on a neighbor's property who made promise not to
poison/hurt it. So I couldn't shoot it (don't have a gun anyway), poison
it, or otherwise kill it. So it was either relocate it or not have a
garden. What would you choose?
Too bad we don't have many coyotes in the city limits here...

Enough, however, on the ethics/legislation of relocating wildlife and I
won't lecture y'all on the use of herbicides/pesticides nor on the
propagation of invasive species (even if they are edible), nor on the
environmental impact of eating high on the food web. Unless someone wants
to initiate a new thread in one of those directions.

How about some constructive ideas on how to prevent the little buggers from
coming back or humane, legal ways of dealing with them for vegetarians.

Thanks,
Mike Levine
Ann Arbor, MI



----- Original Message -----
From: "Lucky Pittman" <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>
To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 4:48 PM
Subject: [NAFEX] Relocating wildlife


> At 11:29 AM 08/30/2002 -0400, Gordon wrote:
> >I disagree on the relocation of wild animals from your place to someone
> >else place so that they can share in your problems that you are trying to
> >eliminate.
>
>
> Most wildlife biologists and state Fish & Wildlife personnel are
> diametrically opposed to 'relocating' wildlife - at least those that are
> not considered to be 'threatened' or 'endangered' species. In some
states,
> it is even illegal to do so.
> I understand that many people are uncomfortable with trapping and killing
> vermin such as squirrels, groundhogs, and the like, and think that they
are
> being 'humane' by simply taking them to a remote location and releasing
them.
> However, it may not be so humane as they'd like to think - but at least
> they don't die in their sight, or directly at their hands.
>
> Relocated animals have to search out food sources in their 'new'
> surroundings - if this is a species that caches food for the winter, like
> chipmunks, relocation, particularly in fall or early winter, is a
veritable
> death sentence.
> Relocated animals also have to search out nesting/sleeping shelter in
their
> new surroundings, which may be difficult, depending on time of year.
> If the area they are relocated to is already at peak carrying capacity for
> that species, either the located animal is going to die a slow death due
to
> starvation & exposure, or one of the previous residents is going to be
> displaced and die.
> Relocating animals can spread diseases that may impact wildlife and humans
> alike. Take the raccoon rabies epidemic which has swept up the eastern
> seaboard, for example. Raccoons relocated from south GA or FL to W.VA
> carried the raccoon strain of the rabies virus with them, and it has
spread
> like wildfire up the east coast and is now sweeping west across PA & OH.
>
> All in all, it's much better to terminate such garden/orchard pests in a
> rapid, humane manner than to relocate them - whether to a remote,
> uninhabited area, or to a spot where they may be a nuisance to someone
else.
>
>
>
>
>
> Lucky Pittman
> USDA Zone 6
> Hopkinsville, KY
>
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