ALBANY, NY (August 13, 2002) - The Fund for Animals praised Gov.
George E. Pataki and the state legislature for passing a bill to
provide licensing and mandatory humane education for "nuisance
wildlife control operators" (NWCOs). The Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC) will now provide training for NWCOs, which will
include non-lethal methods of resolving common nuisance wildlife
problems, such as the use of frightening devices, repellents, one-way
door exclusion, habitat modification, and live trapping. The bill,
A9599b was introduced by Assemblyman William Magee.
"The increasing frequency of human/wildlife conflicts has led
to a rise in the private industry of NWCOs," said Dora Schomberg,
New York Coordinator for The Fund for Animals. "But consumers
are unaware that some NWCOs use cruel and inhumane methods during
and after removal of skunks, raccoons, squirrels, and other wildlife
from homes and other areas where they are unwanted." Schomberg
stated that homeowners might be easily duped into paying for services
that do not solve the problem permanently, or services that are advertised
as "humane" but result in a "behind-the-scenes" death
of the animal by drowning, injection with commercial solvents such
as acetone, or other inhumane methods of killing.
"This bill will help to provide truth in advertising for the
NWCO industry," added Schomberg. "Now when the public
wants wildlife conflicts solved humanely, the NWCOs will have the
skills
to do so. The consumer, of course, should verify this, and should
know that removing animals does not provide long-term solutions
to problems, as neighboring animals will soon fill the vacancies.
Humane,
long-term, inexpensive solutions are available."
