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.

"Trap and transfer" (a.k.a. "relocation")

Onsite release | Trap and Transfer | Killing the captured animal

If an animal is sick or injured, a NWCO may be able to transfer the animal to a wildlife rehabilitator. Even NWCOs who are very careful to avoid orphaning young animals may sometimes find themselves with a litter that's been separated from its mother. Wildlife rehabilitators may be able to help. Of course, it's better to have a good relationship with your local rehabber before you need that person's services. To find licensed rehabbers who work in your area, contact your regional DEC wildlife staff or New York's association of rehabbers, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, or check their website.

In most cases, when people refer to "trap and transfer," they don't mean turning the animal over to a rehabber, they mean moving the animal to a new place. This is a common but controversial technique. While solving some of the problems associated with releasing the animal on-site, it raises other concerns.

Let's try our six best practices questions from chapter two on this technique.

1. Is it safe?
   • Reasonably so. Trap and transfer involves transporting the animal, which is stressful, so the animal may be quite agitated when you're ready to let it out.
    
2. What are the likely ecological consequences of this action?
   • Can spread diseases through wildlife populations.
      
   • An area can only support so many individuals of a particular species. Raising the level of competition for food, shelter, and den sites (at the release site) could hurt more animals in the long run.
    
3. Is it practical?
   • At best, we can say "effectiveness unknown for nuisance species."
      
   • If the customer opted for capture and relocation without exclusion, chances are good that the problem will happen again. A new animal will usually quickly replace the one that was removed.
      
   • The relocated animal may return to the site. Many animals have strong homing instincts. A male raccoon, for example, can travel as much as 5–10 miles each night. Bats routinely travel hundreds of miles to their hibernacula.
      
   • Is there a suitable release site close by?
      
   • Can you afford to make the time to take the animals to the site?
      
   • You'd need to secure the permission of the people who own the land that you'd like to use as a release site. On public land, you'd need the permission of the land manager. Can you get permission in time? What if you're refused?
    
4. Is it humane?
   • How well does this species respond to transport? Will the animal be so stressed by the process that it's unlikely to survive, anyway? Studies have shown that the stress and trauma of capture causes some animals to die a few weeks later.
      
   • What are its chances of finding a new territory? The animals that are already established in the release site may drive off or attack this animal. Between the capture, transport, and release in a foreign locale, this animal is probably already stressed. Does it stand a chance?
      
   • What are its chances of finding food? During the winter, when food is scarce for many of these species, placing an animal in an unfamiliar place can cause it to slowly starve to death. This is especially true if that animal would normally rely on stored food to make it through the winter, as squirrels do.
      
   • Add to the troubles: what if this is a mother with young? Would she simply abandon or kill her young because she's already been too stressed? If not, will she have time to find food, shelter, and a safe place to raise her young?
      
   • Some animals are killed by cars, dogs, or other predators as they try to return to their original homes through unfamiliar territory.
    
5. Is it legal?
   • This technique is legal for NWCOs (assuming, of course, that they have the permission of the owners of the release site), but not for the general public. Many people don't realize that.
      
   • Is the animal classified as a "threatened" or "endangered" species, either on a statewide or national basis? If so, stop! You cannot handle it in New York State. Do not harm it or its habitat.
      
   • Pigeons wearing leg bands are also out-of-bounds for NWCOs in New York.
      
   • Are you dealing with a migratory bird? Nearly all are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. You'd need federal and state permits, which would spell out approved techniques. Follow your permits.
      
   • Is the animal classified as an "unprotected" or "protected" species in New York State? If it's a protected species, refer to the Environmental Conservation Law, which describe the situations in which you can "take" (or kill) that species. That information is included in the species accounts in the appendices.
      
   • You are talking about wildlife, right? Because your NWCO license does not give you the authority to handle feral cats or dogs, or livestock, such as domestic ducks. Those species are covered by other laws.
      
   • Once you've established that you can legally take that species, check local laws. The use of some tools such as "dart guns" may be restricted in some areas.
      
   • During times of disease epidemics, there may be restrictions on moving animals. You still have to follow DEC and Department of Health guidelines.
    
6. How would your actions play on the evening news?
   • This is hard to predict. So far, there haven't been enough scientific studies to answer some of the important ecological questions raised by this approach. We can't say whether this is likely to be a "happily ever after" story for the relocated animal, or a tear-jerker. How will people who live near the release site feel?

Is this technique all bad? (If it was, would it be in this manual? Really.) Wildlife biologists relocate animals. This technique has been used to reintroduce wildlife into areas where they were once found, for example, or to stock certain areas with game species, such as wild turkey. But when it comes to nuisance wildlife, the usefulness of this technique is debatable. Your customers may request this option, so you'll need to think about it.

Should you decide to relocate an animal, there are several things you can do to give it the best possible chance of survival. Find an area with suitable habitat for that species, with good and varied sources of food and shelter. Release the animal during the time of day when it's naturally active, for example, release a nocturnal animal at dusk or in the evening, not in the middle of the day. Keep families together and release them into a covered area, such as a culvert or hollow log; this will increase the chances that the mother will stay with her young. Follow the guidelines for preventing orphaning (see step three). And don't overload an area.

Next Section (Killing the captured animal)