Not
bashing on you, Jay, and some may look at me as a heartless b@st@rd, but trapping and relocation is not a
desirable solution; but I don’t bend over for the bunny huggers or
anthropomorphizing public any more, so I’ll say it.
It’s
better to terminate ‘em on the spot. Shoot to kill, use quick-kill
traps/snares, or live-trap and terminate.
Except
in the case of threatened species – which squirrels most assuredly are NOT –
wildlife biologists are pretty much all on the same page in opposing
relocation/translocation of problem/depredating
wildlife.
Relocated
animals will immediately have to compete with the existing population at the
site of release for available food, shelter, mates, etc., all while avoiding
predators – in an area that may already be at ‘carrying capacity’ for that
species. The relocated animal &/or members of the pre-existing
population are likely going to find themselves at a disadvantage – something
may experience a slow, lingering death due to starvation or
injury.
By
relocating a problem animal to another location, you may also be relocating
whatever parasites or disease organisms it may be carrying, thereby risking
transmission to a naïve population.
The
raccoon rabies outbreak that’s been running up the eastern/northeastern US
coast and is now heading west across PA & OH, for the past 25 years
is the result of some not-so-insightful members of then-President Carter’s
staff/cabinet translocating raccoons(some carrying the raccoon strain of the
rabies virus) from south GA to VA, because they ‘missed’
coon-hunting.
Depending
upon season, you may orphan young which may or may not be able to survive
without the care of the relocated animal.
And
last, but not least, you may just be dumping your problem
animal onto someone else and creating problems for them.
In
some states, there are statutes(though I doubt that they are rigorously
enforced) prohibiting relocation/translocation of wildlife
species.
I
understand that not everyone is comfortable with terminating problem animals –
even vermin, like squirrels – in a quick humane manner, but it’s a
preferable solution to trapping and relocating. Trapping and
relocation may assuage your own personal feelings of guilt, but it’s not the
right thing to do.
Properly
prepared, squirrel, rabbit, groundhog, raccoon, etc. are quite tasty, and very
nutritious – especially if they’ve been eating all the fruits of your
labors.
Lucky
Pittman
From:
nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On
Behalf Of Jay Cutts
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 3:17
PM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX]
Pear Thief
I sometimes live-trap the offending squirrels who have
learned a naughty behavior and relocate them some miles away. I assume other
squirrels will move in to take their place but they haven't learned the bad
habits yet.
Regards,
Jay
Jay Cutts
Director, Cutts Graduate Reviews
Lead Author, Barron's Test Prep Publications
800-353-4898 day or eve, 7 days
(In NM, 505-281-0684)
On 8/25/2010 1:18 PM, Robert Bruns wrote:
I've had squirrels chew through green apricots to get to
the pits. They are probably after the pips in your pears. Once one
squirrel does it, all the other squirrels see it and do the same, stripping
even a large tree in a few days.
On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 3:08 PM, Brungardt, Sam (MPCA)
<Sam.Brungardt@state.mn.us>
wrote:
Caren, squirrels
can carry amazingly large fruit, even on power lines. I think they’re
your thieves. -- Sam
Out of interest, could anyone
suggest what would be stealing small pears off my Flemish Beaty in July before
they've fully grown and ripened? It's a small, young tree that I planyed
last year that set about 8-10 small fruit. However something came and took
them at the beginning of July. There were absolutely no signs of damage to the
tree and absolutely no trace of the pears.
Animalwise we have quite a
family of squirrels in the area but it seems to me that they would be too big
for a squirrel to carry off. We have the odd raccoon, but the tree is too
spindly to hold that kind of weight without branch damage. My kids show no
interest in my fruit until it's on a plate in front of them, and they know
better. As do the neighbours.
Any ideas so I can work out a
strategy to protect them for next year?
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