Did You Know It’s Illegal to Move Wild Animals Out of Your Yard in New York

If you have a bird feeder, you probably have a squirrel problem. Those little buggers can bypass almost anything to eat everything you put out for the birds.

Did you know it's illegal to move them off your property? At least in the state of New York anyway.

Squirrel Spray Painter

A man on probation was caught spray painting squirrels and releasing them in a nearby park.

Why? He wanted to keep track of the ones returning to his yard and causing his dogs to bark.

The Putnam County man was ticketed for violations related to the trapping, transporting, and liberating of wildlife. Putnam County SPCA Detectives also charged him with the mistreatment of animals.

Read More: Man Arrested for Spray Painting Squirrels

Moving Animals is Illegal in New York

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, it is illegal for you to move or relocate any wild animal off your property in New York, even squirrels.

You cannot trap and release wild animals anywhere other than on the property where it was captured. Which kind of defeats the purpose of moving the animal in the first place. Who wants to move a squirrel or a snake from one part of the yard to the other, unless your yard is hundreds of acres?

Relocating an animal can create problems for neighbors, can move diseases like rabies or Lyme, and can cause unnecessary stress to the animal.

A Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator or a licensed professional must be called in if you want to remove an animal from your property.