I was brought up on my family’s small working/subsistance ranch-I’m not some city wuss who does not understand life and death in the natural world-some wild animals are hunted, livestock are slaughtered, and both get put in the freezer-but none of us condone cruelty, or the wasting of natural resources for any reason.
I draw the line at the willful cruelty of shooting a trapped animal-raccoons and possums aren’t dangerous bears, or wolverines. And I don’t hunt/kill animals I don’t intend to eat-I don’t shoot animals for being in my yard not bothering anything.
You might as well shoot a cat, small dog or bird. Or you could go on a hunt like this:
There are “hunting clubs” in some places that trap trophy animals of all kinds, and “hunters” pay big bucks to shoot these trapped creatures. These “hunts” are not “sport” of any kind, and are usually busted when a game warden finds about them, and people can go to jail, too. The kid shooting that trapped raccoon and possum sounds like the type who will grow up to do some “hunting” at one of those clubs...
I have cats who keep my house mouse and rat free, but if you don’t, you set traps for mice and rats-the kind that snap and kill instantly-and you spray Raid for insects.
I don’t know any varmint hunters who shoot trapped animals-if you catch the animal in the act of grabbing chickens-which is what usually happens-you take your .22 and you shoot it right there. If it gets away before you can do that, you go hunt it in the woods and shoot it there, leave the remains for the scavengers-they have to eat, too. But you don’t shoot it in a cage/trap.
Totally false. You may live in the country, but you are clueless as to the nature and risks associated with nuisance animals. Seven cases of rabies in one GA county so far this year. most recent is a dog that caught it from a raccoon. Raccoons also carry roundworms in their feces - google raccoon roundworms. these can infect and sicken people and domestic animals. Possum also responsible for at least one of aforementioned rabies cases. It isn't cruel to kill a nuisance animal. You belong on the PETA forum.