‘Raccoon’
courtesy of ‘Riverbanksoutdoorstore’
Generally, I’m of the opinion that we should gently displace wildlife that we develop around, treating them generally with respect. Of course, I tend to think that’s deer, and not raccoons and opossums, which are pests and potential rabies vectors. Apparently, Councilwoman Cheh disagrees and wants to protect their little rodent hides from the exterminators. Included are making sure that little rodent families are preserved if they have to be relocated, and the banning of odious glue traps. In addition, all exterminators would need to be licensed by the District.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
I’m a little shocked that exterminators don’t need to be licensed by the District already. Don’t they use ridiculous chemicals?
Also, glue traps are horrible, horrible things.
Opossums are very rarely “potential rabies vectors”. They can only be infected by and carry rabies if they are already very ill. Their natural body temperature is too low for the disease to survive otherwise. Also, they eat rats, roaches and decaying/ rotting plant and vegetable matter. Their feet are too delicate for digging/ ripping things so when people blame opossums for getting into certain areas they are usually wrong. They really are quite useful to have around. You may want to check out the Opossum Society of the US FAQ page– you may develop a new appreciation for the ugly little buggers.
I like that she’s working to protect animals. They do deserve to be treated with respect. Yay for Cheh!