Love Thy Neighbor: Wildlife

Earlier this year, I witnessed the killing of a raccoon by a Seven Hills police officer. Believing this animal to be healthy, as well as knowing the circumstances surrounding the incident, I concluded it was a cruel and unnecessary act.
Regardless of your personal belief about wildlife/animals, what every homeowner and person should know -- and likely does not know -- are facts regarding "nuisance" wildlife trapping, including costly fees associated with repeat nuisance trapping/removal.
"Trapping of 'nuisance' wildlife often leads to wild animal babies being unintentionally orphaned," says Katherine McGill, founding member of the National Urban Wildlife Coalition.
"Any animal nesting around your house is likely a mother with young. It is critical not to separate a mother from her young, as the babies will starve to death and cause foul odors inside your house," McGill says.
Trapping isn't just deadly. Frequently, homeowners and businesses wind up paying more due to additional service calls. Trappers are notorious for not telling customers to cap chimneys and close off other entryways by spending a few bucks now to save hundreds later. And these are really simple deterrents anyone can learn about and implement in less than half a day.
Trapping also increases traffic accidents. According to McGill, "While it may seem a humane solution to trap and relocate a wild animal [not legal in Ohio, but homeowners actually are permitted to release wildlife back on their own property. The caveat is, you need to first make certain all animals have been humanely removed and all entryways closed off. Otherwise, a high mortality rate among relocated animals is the all-too-frequent result. Most relocated animals try desperately to search for home (or their babies) and end up being hit by cars or run out by resident animals." 
Since the incident I witnessed, in addition to expressing concerns to council and the mayor's office, as well as attending a council meeting and sending informative wildlife handling tips to the city, the Seven Hills police department rewrote its official wildlife policy. This is a good start, but it reads so that each call or complaint still relies on "officer discretion." And officer discretion is exactly what caused the death of what was very likely a healthy, innocent animal deemed as "nuisance" by neighbors and the police, so more is needed.
This is where your due diligence comes in. For instance, "It's vital to know it's not unusual for raccoons to be seen by day (often mother raccoons with nursing young forage day and night); one should not assume this alone is a sign of rabies," says Laura Simon, field director, Urban Wildlife Program. Ms. Simon has worked with raccoons for over 25 years. She authored a book on rabies-vector-species handling protocols that is used by state agencies throughout America. 
According to Simon, "Killing healthy raccoons in springtime can actually create a human safety risk."
Also, according to the Fund for Animals, it's normal to see raccoons out and about during the day. That's because foraging mothers and young -- sometimes even those abandoned as a result of inhumane trapping -- are known to frequent porches, yards and other human habitat. You may even observe them "singing," or begging, or otherwise "uncharacteristically" unafraid. The March 9 case I witnessed involved a raccoon that, according to at least one police department employee, simply did not want to leave the porch area-- which doesn't explain how it came to be shot dead at least 40 feet from said porch area (or any structure), under a tree, and in the middle of the yard.
NONE OF THESE BEHAVIORS INDICATE ILLNESS, RABIES, DISTEMPER, ETC. You are simply witnessing a wild animal acting normal within your human-made boundaries, boundaries existing only in our species-centric minds. McGill says, "Wildlife habitat gives way to our urban sprawl every day, forcing wildlife to adapt with great resourcefulness. The increased reports of wildlife sightings indicate to ethical experts that humans are obviously being accepted as part of their habitat now."
Back to our community. Modeled after the City of Eastlake's policy number 310.17 "animal complaints" -- created last year after an outraged resident complained after witnessing police officers there shoot a raccoon and left it half alive and gasping in a dumpster while trying to get back up -- Seven Hills policy also includes the recommendation that officers advise callers/complainants contact dispatch for trapper info. Knowing that "professional" trappers of raccoons, skunks and other "nuisance" wildlife routinely gas, drown and not always quickly or painlessly kill the animals, and that virtually no police department is adequately trained in humanely handling all nuisance wildlife calls, homeowners need to know they are better suited to make life-and-death decisions by being proactive along every step; don't just look the other way after calling police or trappers. This life and death matter is on you, every step of the way.
To my knowledge, and to the knowledge of the League of Humane Voters in Ohio, none of the trappers registered with Seven Hills would be considered "humane" -- not by anyone's stretch of the imagination. Add to this the fact that our very bottom of the barrel state wildlife agency refuses to allow releasing wildlife anywhere except your own property (and they don't even want us to know that, along with greedy, inhumane trappers). Add to this, the Ohio Division of Wildlife also does not allow raccoons, deer and certain other wildlife to be rehabbed, not even by very knowledgeable, educated, even licensed, rehabbers; yet, they cooperate with trappers and other money-makers by giving them carte blanch decision making power over the lives of millions, if not billions, of wild animals in our state alone! Fact is, you are allowed to release professionally trapped animals on your own property, making certain all animals have been removed and entryways closed off -- and it's cheaper than repeat trapping fees!
If you really want to be sure, and save some big bucks, McGill says, "The easiest way to remove wild babies is with assistance from the mother, and she will do that for you (and move on) with a little effort and patience. If she is killed or relocated, she can not. A human’s ability to access those babies, dead or alive, often results in doing more structural damage than you feared the mother animal would cause."
McGill says, "There are numerous methods to humanely resolve conflicts and coexist with urban wildlife. Besides, removing a wild animal simply lights a vacancy for another to move in . . . . Eliminating the attractants, properly sealing entrances or creative modifications can resolve almost every conflict. A reputable trapper or 'pest control company' knows this, and a red flag is up if they do not explain options beyond taking an animal away."
Contact a wildlife rehabber that is bona fide and checked out. "They can likely refer you to a reputable company if they can’t talk you through handling the issue safely yourself," says McGill.
And just in case you have fears concerning rabies, consider there has not been a positive case of raccoon rabies in all of Ohio for over a year. And the last human case of rabies in Ohio was 1970! 
If there has not been a case of human rabies in Ohio in forty years, and rabies from raccoons in Ohio (hence, no chance of any pets, etc. becoming bit and infected), then isn't it time the City of Seven Hills remove its giant "WANTED" raccoon poster (not surprisingly, donated from the DOW) from the police dept. lobby? The poster is four times larger than all the felon pictures!
Peaceful solutions are the only answer. In fact, consider the Public Trust Doctrine (PTD), recently invoked in five national wildlife officials' recommendations for sweeping changes in all state wildlife agencies; a very big deal indicating major change is on the way. PTD essentially asserts that all of wildlife belongs to everyone. So, next time your neighbor or anyone else tells you to mind your own business, and that they can do anything they want to an animal because it's on their property, remind them of the PTD. In fact, wildlife fit into that neat little category of being exempt from property boundaries.
If any wild animal "belongs" to any one individual, or MINORITY, SPECIAL INTEREST group of individuals, such as the seven percent of the population that hunts, or the other segment that profits off murdering these innocent creatures such as trappers, the PTD is inherently violated.
PTD recommends four paradigm shifts, one of which is to form a diverse group of stakeholders, because most states -- and Ohio is one of the worst, especially regarding deer -- are mired in special interest stakeholders, namely, hunters and trappers. Ever wondered how seven percent of the population manages to lord it over the majority, and all God's other creatures? From my perspective, all non-human species deserve even more protection, because they are the most vulnerable among us.
On a local level, you have a lot of sway: Contact Seven Hills, and tell them that, while you appreciate the good faith effort by rewriting the wild (and domestic!) animal policy that might makes things a little more humane as well as reduce traffic accidents and save city funds due to less nuisance calls, that it's only the first step in the right direction.
While you're at it, request Seven Hills take down those giant raccoon "WANTED" posters, and remind them of the facts about rabies. Incidentally, distemper in raccoons (something the Seven Hills police attempted to rewrite into their reports only after I questioned why this raccoon was killed forty feet from the porch they claim "it would not leave," and which it did not show signs of) cannot be transferred to other mammals, so there's just no valid reason for those posters to be so prominently displayed. They only perpetuate ignorance, widespread panic and line trappers' pockets.
Along the lines of treating "nuisance" wildlife inhumanely, Seven Hills Councilman Dell'Aquilla this year formally announced his candidacy for Seven Hills mayor. Both in his 2009 campaign literature, and unofficially, Dell'Aquilla has indicated he may have it in for deer and other "nuisance" wildlife. Before you vote for Dell'Aquilla for mayor -- or for any candidate at any level -- first ask him to put in writing that he will vote down any ordinance or policy of any kind (especially any practice that involves pretending not to know while looking the other way when poachers are doing their illegal deeds) that involves any kill method in an effort to "control" or "manage" any wild or domestic animal. Don't wait until after the election to see if he, or any public official, can be trusted. Look what happened in Broadview Heights recently with the deer ordinance, which is still pending, and there is a questionable window between the official beginning of hunting season in late September, and when the voting (yes, residents there got a referendum and got it on the ballot) takes place in November. How would you feel if this happened in your own back yard: watching poachers trespass and kill deer without your permission while your children or grandchildren see it. How about your pet being stuck with an arrow, or you? How about dozens, if not hundreds of violations of every imaginable sort occurring right here in your city, just as they have for the past three years in adjacent Independence?
As a member of the League of Humane Voters, it is my experience that voters have to pressure candidates to take a stand -- before they vote for them. Get them to promise, in writing. Otherwise, Seven Hills may go from one abominable nuisance wildlife practice to something as incomprehensible as suburban bow-hunting. Make no mistake, the mayor, his assistant, all the city council members and more have been made fully aware of all the safety and rebound facts and statistics, as well as the state DOW politics supporting rebound profiteering. They do not need to be educated about this; they already have been by me and our group. The League of Humane Voters requests that you do not vote for any candidate that will allow hunting, trapping or any other inhumane control method, Dell'Aquilla, or anyone else.
Contact the City of Seven Hills at 216-524-4421. Email the mayor, assistant and city council at: Bent959@aol.com, cmatthews@sevenhillsohio.org, ward1councilman@cox.net, jmtripi@sevenhillsohio.org, aaron_lobas@hotmail.com, pete@petedraganic.com, rdellaquila@sevenhillsohio.org, clecznar@sevenhillsohio.org, fpetro@sevenhillsohio.org. Ask them what formal training police officers are now going to receive in light of the new written animal policy. Ask them to take down those raccoon posters. Demand more cost-effective, peaceful solutions that won't create more traffic hazards and city expenses. Tell them you won't support cruel animal control methods, and that they have no business shooting animals -- unless endorsed by humane agencies euthanasia protocol (involving clear-cut cases where an injured/dying/sick animal would be better off quickly dispatched) has been spelled out and adhered to. Yours truly has already given copies of a nationally recognized humane protocol for making humane decisions regarding wildlife. The case I witnessed was not clear cut, and may have involved nothing more than an inconvenience to homeowners, combined with officer disdain for certain "nuisance" wildlife.
For more info through email subscriptions to the "Urban Wildlife Examiner" authored by Katherine McGill, visit www.examiner.com, click on Urban Wildlife Examiner. While you're at it, download the flyer "Fund Facts" from The Fund for Animals -- a short, comprehensive sheet for resolving conflicts with raccoons in your house, yard or porch, as well as how to safely and humanely help raccoons climb out of dumpsters (simply put in a long branch or stick for them to climb out) -- visit www.fund.org and look for "Solving Raccoon Problems, Coexisting with Wildlife Fact Sheet #3."
God bless "the least among us," which is every non-human species.
Lucy McKernan, Seven Hills
League of Humane Voters