Best practices for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

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Ch 5: Step two: Choose management options

Option: Remove the culprit.

Onsite release | Trap and Transfer | Killing the captured animal

On-site release

In this condominium complex, raccoons moved from one cupola to the next. Notice the bent louvers.

Releasing the animal on site generally causes the least stress to the animal. It may be a best practice for your customer's situation, but it requires some consideration. For example, if the animal is obviously sick or may have exposed someone to rabies, stop right here. In those cases, releasing the animal would be risky (and possibly illegal).

Before you release an animal, consider the possible effects on the animal, your customer, your customer's neighbors, and local wildlife populations. Unfortunately, this hasn't been well-researched yet and as you'd expect, it's a hotly debated point. Is it ethical to potentially pass your problem on to the neighbors? Is it humane to release an animal if its survival chances aren't good?

Here are a few guidelines that may help you resolve this point as we wait for solid evidence. First, consider which species caused the problem. Bats and snakes cannot create openings in buildings. Remove them, then repair the hole that let them in, and they're not likely to trouble your customer again. They can't force their way into the neighbor's building, either. So on-site release is almost always appropriate with these species. In fact, it's actually preferred. Both bats and snakes congregate, which means that the individuals at that one site may represent a good percentage of the local population. What you do at this site could have broader effects than it would if you were dealing with a species whose population is more dispersed. (Please read the bat account for some additional factors to consider when dealing with large colonies.)

Now, let's apply the same logic to the great chewers: mice, rats, squirrels, raccoons. They can most definitely chew their way back into the building. If the nuisance animal has developed the habit of using a building it may become a repeat offender, especially if den sites are rare, or the animal is ready to give birth and needs a den right away. The ethics of this situation are less clear.

Look around the neighborhood. If the nearest building is miles away, then the risk of the animal troubling the neighbors could be low. If it's a condo complex of attached buildings which all share the same deficiency that allowed the animal to gain access, such as poorly designed louvers, it's much more of a concern.

There are two circumstances in which on-site release is almost a no-brainer: the accidental capture, and the accidental entry. Say you're trying to catch a skunk but you find an opossum in your cage trap instead. Open the door and let it out. It's not causing any damage; it's not a nuisance; it's just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Likewise, animals sometimes end up inside buildings accidentally. Birds and squirrels sometimes fall down chimneys. Bats will sometimes enter a building through an open window or door. If the animal poses little risk to nearby people, you should be able to capture it and release it outdoors. Help your customers understand how to prevent another animal from dropping by (maybe you'd offer to install a chimney cap, for example). Done. Everybody happy.

On-site release, especially if coupled with effective exclusion that will prevent the animal from re-entering the building, may be a good solution for your customer's problem. Use your professional judgment.

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