Our position:
relocating wild animals

We often hear about well-meaning people trapping and relocating wild animals. It's difficult to accept when your lovingly tended flower beds and beautiful landscapes are damaged by animals that dig and chew. We truly understand how frustrating this situation feels after you’ve put care into your homes and gardens. But here's the thing:

Trapping and relocating wild animals seems like a kind and simple solution but it almost never works. 

It often creates more problems than it solves. Here’s why.

1. It doesn't solve the original problem.
   The reason you have an animal digging is because you have something it wants—likely a good food source (like grubs in the soil). When you remove one animal, you create an empty territory. This is called the "vacuum effect." Nature hates a vacuum, and another animal will soon move in to take advantage of the same resources. You will find yourself in an endless cycle of trapping and removing animals.
   
   

2. It spreads disease.
   Moving an animal from one location to another can unintentionally transport diseases like rabies, canine distemper, or mange into a new, healthy animal population. This poses a risk not only to the local wildlife but potentially to domestic pets in that area.
   
   

3. It's against Tennessee law.
   Under Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency regulations, it is illegal for an unlicensed person to trap and relocate most native wildlife species. These laws are in place to protect wildlife populations and prevent the spread of disease.
   
   

4. Relocation is a death sentence.
   Dropping an animal off in a new place, even a beautiful place like Warner Parks, is a death sentence. Here’s why:

   • Competition: You are placing it in another animal's established territory. The resident animals may see it as an intruder and violently drive it out or kill it.

   • Lack of knowledge: The relocated animal has no idea where to find food, water, or shelter. 

   • Homing instincts: Many animals are territorial and have a strong homing instinct. The relocated animal will try to get home. In this case, attempting to cross Highway 70 and Highway 100 will likely lead to it being struck and killed by a vehicle.
     
     

5. You may be orphaning babies.
   This time of year (mid-summer) is prime baby season for many of our wild neighbors like raccoons, skunks, and opossums. The animal digging in your yard is very likely a mother working hard to find food for her dependent young who are hidden in a den nearby. If you trap and relocate her, her babies will be left behind to die of starvation, dehydration, and predation.

The only permanent way to solve the problem is to identify what is attracting the animal and remove it.

Most often, digging in lawns and flowerbeds is caused by an animal searching for grubs. Applying a treatment of organic insecticides like miky spore, beneficial nematodes, or neem oil to your soil is a fantastic, non-toxic way to eliminate the food source. Once the insect food source is gone, the diggers should move on.

You can also make the specific area unattractive. A motion-activated sprinkler is a highly effective and harmless deterrent. You can also try sprinkling cayenne pepper around your plants or using commercial scent repellents.

We want to help you find a humane and effective solution that works for you and our wild neighbors. Please don't hesitate send a text message (615) 266-5701 for specific advice on your situation. We are here as a resource for our Nashville community.

Thank you for taking the time to consider a more compassionate and effective approach.