Human welfare considerations are also important decision-making variables. Aside from the biological issues, most wildlife damage managers feel compassion for the animals they catch, just as they care about their pets or their livestock. After all, this particular animal may be the one that survives. In addition, most nuisance wildlife control operators are in the customer satisfaction business, giving the customer what the customer wants. Personally, I believe compassion for animals should not be discouraged, within reason.
Compassion protects our families, our pets, and our research and food animals from abuse.
Professionalism and personal ethics puts realistic and appropriate boundaries on the extent and limits of this compassion, however. The availability of safe, effective, and economical euthanatizing systems or drugs will also make a difference in this debate. These regulations do not authorize any person, facility or organization to accept, possess or relocate any wildlife trapped in towns or cities or removed from under buildings or otherwise trapped as nuisance wildlife. Such wildlife shall be immediately released back to the wild or disposed of as directed and authorized by the department.