An Oenoke Ridge Road woman last week hired a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator to kill a raccoon in her garage, officials say.
The resident originally had contacted the New Canaan Police Department Animal Control unit at 8:50 a.m. on Nov. 6 to put the animal down, according to a police report. But since the animal was perfectly healthy, there was nothing that Animal Control could do, Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said.
Though a resident is allowed to protect himself or herself—say, by shooting a raccoon on their property that’s suspected of being sick, as a Lukes Wood Road man did in September (Animal Control prefers it if you phone them first)—a permit is needed to kill a healthy animal. That route typically is taken when the animal is damaging property and there’s no practical way to resolve the problem with the animal still on site, state officials say.
Connecticut law does not allow for certain rabies-prone species—raccoons, skunks or foxes—to be transferred off-property if they’re deemed a nuisance and the property owner wants it gone. That situation requires the hiring of a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator. Here’s a list of licensed NWCOs and here’s a summary of Connecticut’s regulations on nuisance wildlife control.