DNR adds to list of animals that can be trapped

METRO DETROIT — Michigan homeowners may have new options when it comes to those annoying critters digging up their gardens or threatening pets.

New rules set forth by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources have widened the list of animals that can be trapped on private property without a permit. Christina Funk, the lead naturalist at Troy’s Stage Nature Center, said that she hopes people are informed of the changes and what their options are.

“Previously, woodchucks, skunks, coyotes and raccoons could be considered nuisance animals if they were doing damage or about to do damage on private property,” she said. “They could be killed or trapped without a written permit. More animals have been added to that list. Beavers, rabbits, squirrels, muskrats, opossums and weasels can be trapped or killed without a permit as well throughout the state of Michigan.”

Mark Vanderwep, the education and training manager for Troy’s Rose Pest Solutions, said the law was changed largely to streamline enforcement and to give homeowners more options.

“A lot of people have been trapping these animals for a long time. Widening this list is making it legally official for homeowners to do this and do so safely,” he said. “You want laws that can be followed. This will also lessen the paperwork burden and bureaucracy to monitor and enforce these rules. It’s legislation that sides with property owners and gives them more autonomy.”

“Previously, these species that were added required a written permit from the DNR to remove them from your property,” Funk added. “Part of the reason, I believe, is because the amount of time it took to apply for the permit and get it processed would take far more time than it would take to address the issue and in the meantime people’s properties were getting damaged. Other states have similar rules, so the Michigan DNR looked at those rules

The changes were approved on May 11.

“The rules are a little tough to follow,” he said. “In general, for it to be legal, you can use live traps where you put it outside and it usually lures them in with a food smell before snapping shut when the animal steps on the trigger. It’s easy and it’s relatively cheap, starting at $40 or $50. Then you have a live animal in a trap, but you can’t just legally let them go down the road.

“You can hunt certain animals, but that has to be in season and usually with a permit of its own,” he said.

Since animals cannot be released on public land or other private property without expressed permission, this means the animal will likely have to be euthanized.

“To stay within the confines of the law, you either need to let it go on your own property, or another property if you have written permission to do so. They usually can’t be taken across county lines, especially with racoons since the concern is rabies spreading through them,” said Vanderwep. “They could call a company to pick the animal up if they didn’t want to pay us to trap it, but they would pay us to take it and put it down. There aren’t many legal ways to euthanize it themselves since it has to be done in a humane way. You can’t just drown an animal, for instance. Even pest control companies have very strict guidelines for it. We use CO2 to knock the animal out and then humanely euthanize it.”

Funk said that while there are some organizations that will accept live animals to try and humanely relocate them, they are few and far between and she does not know of any in the metro Detroit area. Her suggestion would be to call professionals to handle the situation whenever possible.

“People can call us to ask about methods,” she said. “They can call us at (248) 688-9703. They can also try their local animal shelter or nature center or contacting the Michigan DNR. There’s a lot of information online as well.”

The best option, according to Funk, is to minimize the risk of having conflicts with nuisance animals in the first place.

“Ways that people can discourage animals from taking up residence or doing damage include not leaving animal food like for pets outside,” she said. “You can make sure garbage cans are locked. If you are trying to keep woodchucks away, you can spread cat litter around the area, so the smell discourages them from approaching.

“We encourage people to use these methods before they turn to trapping or killing. We can avoid these issues just by changing what we do around our homes and properties,” she said.

“The best advice for any human-pest conflict is to avoid it, if possible,” Vanderwep added. “If you’ve got a bird feeder and you’re sick of the squirrels ruining it, you can put it on a pole where the birds can fly to but the squirrels can’t climb. Don’t keep food or plants around that might attract them. You can prevent your garbage from attracting them and so forth.”

Funk wants Michigan residents to be well versed in the law before they take action to confront the wild animals that may be giving them trouble.

“We are not making a statement on this law, so we just want people to know about the change,” she said. “If someone is going to do this, they need to look up the rules, so they know how to proceed.”