I was just reading thisstory this afternoon, and I got to thinking. For anyone who doesn’t care to read the link: a roofing team turned on the tar heating unit for some roofing work, and were shocked when a baby raccoon shot out of the ‘pot.’ There was an adult still in the pot, that they couldn’t get out. After a period of time, the owner of the business said enough was enough, and told the workers to turn the pot back on, if the adult raccoon was too stupid to get out. The workers refused, and the owner ended up turning the pot on himself, scorching the raccoon to death. The owner is now out on $5000 bail for criminal animal cruelty charges.
I have to admit that if someone had put a raccoon into the equipment and forced it to stay in, while turning on the equipment, to purposefully scorch the animal to death, I’d have no reservations, what-so-ever, about animal cruelty charges. But, when the animal got into the dangerous situation, on its own, and wouldn’t come out the options seem to me to have reduced down to:
[ul][li]Kill the animal before turning on the equipment. Options for this include, poison (which is problematical, both from a time lost standpoint, and control of the toxin, so that no unintended critters are poisoned), bludgeoning or otherwise directly killing the animal, or shooting it. Both those last options may have proven impossible depending on the configuration of the equipment, and the risks involved. And all of which could just as easily open someone up to criminal animal cruelty charges.[/li][li]Call animal control or a pest control contractor. Both of these options would leave the owner with the probability of having to pay his crew for a day’s work, without getting anything done. Since while the professionals will have some tools unavailable to the roofers, they’ll still be facing the same options as in the above alternative. I don’t know how Florida law is, but I believe it’s illegal in NYS to release a raccoon that’s been caught, because the assumption is that it might have rabies. [/li][li]Or turn on the pot, and hope it’s quick.[/ul][/li]
I have seen stories where animal cruelty charges have been filed against people killing feral cats, using methods that are perfectly acceptable for any other kind of vermin. (poisons, or shooting outside of municipal limits)
Where is the line being drawn for animal cruelty these days? I guess what’s bothering me is that the methods that are becoming verbotten to the general public are often the same methods that the pest control types use as a matter of course. While I can see some serious reservations about poisoned baits being used by the general public, I’m not entirely convinced that the licensing requirements for pest control types really makes much difference to the animals involved. OTOH, I can see where other factors of the business can tip the scales for licensing. Epidemiology reports going to the State, for one thing…
I guess, the question I’ve been working around to asking: Is the cuteness of the animal being killed more important than the methods used?