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WEEKLYPRESS.COM · UCREVIEW.COM · NOVEMBER 02 · 2011


Speaking Up for Raccoons: An Open Letter to Philadelphia Mayor Nutter and Philadelphia City Council


By Verne R. Smith, Esq.


hiladelphia may claim to be “the City that loves you back,” but clearly not when it comes to its urban wildlife. Recent statements by the City’s Mayor and actions by its City Council demonstrate a profound dis- like of wildlife. For proof, look no further than the rac- coon ordinance City Council is now debating. Scheduled for a vote on November 3,


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2011, the ordinance would essentially declare open warfare on raccoons. The debate follows reports of a recent public statement by Mayor Nutter in which he bluntly stated, “I don’t like raccoons.” The proposed raccoon


ordinance is unnecessary, unworkable, and ill-advised for many reasons. First, the proposed ordinance unfair- ly, unnecessarily, and unrea- sonably demonizes and dis- criminates against an entire species. Raccoons are high- ly intelligent, sentient ani- mals who perform valuable roles in an ecosystem. For example, as opportunistic feeders they are beneficial to humans because they feed on potential pests including certain insects, and on car- rion, which assists in elimi- nating decomposing animal matter. They also contribute to wildlife watching, a past-time popular among Philadelphia residents and visitors. Wildlife observers in Philadelphia -- and there are thousands of us -- enjoy sightings of these beautiful animals.


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Second, the intent of the ordinance is baffling. If this declaration of war against animals is intended to pre- vent disease transmission, it is unnecessary, because rabies transmission is ex- ceedingly rare. Since 1949, only one human death has been attributed to rabies in Pennsylvania. Fur- thermore, the most recent incidence of rabies in wild animals in Philadelphia had nothing to do with rac- coons at all; rather, it was attributed to one, single beaver in a Northeast Phila- delphia park. Shall we now declare war on all beavers as well? (I hesitate to even suggest this, because given Philadelphia officials’ anti- animal sentiment, I suspect they would enthusiasti- cally endorse this appalling idea.) Rather, I suspect the intent of the ordinance is something else, motivated by a deep-seated, primeval fear and loathing of wildlife simply because they are “different” from us humans, because animals are “the other.” I shudder at the thought of where this kind of thinking might end. In the end, the proposed ordi- nance is unnecessary, over- broad, and sets a dangerous precedent, which could lead


to the decimation of urban wildlife. If indeed Phila- delphia has adopted this policy, I strongly urge City officials to change the City’s slogan to “The City that loves you back but hates animals with a passion for no good reason.” Third, serious “nuisance” raccoon cases are few and far between and can be ad- dressed as they always have been: on a case-by-case basis. It is the pinnacle of human arrogance to blame innocent animals for the irresponsible actions of hu- mans who practically invite these animals to engage in behaviors that are then labeled a “nuisance.” It is a fact that if City residents fail to secure their garbage cans with a secure lid, the raccoons will look for food there. (They need to eat just like us.) It is a fact that if City residents fail to fix holes in their houses that raccoons can enter, they will enter. (They need shelter just like us.) The ordinance in essence pre- sumes that every raccoon is a “nuisance” by definition without addressing human irresponsibility, the under- lying reason for the human- raccoon conflicts.


Fourth, Philadelphia’s ani-


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mal control has neither the resources nor, I suspect, the inclination to chase every raccoon all over town sim- ply because the poor animal had the misfortune to be seen crossing someone’s yard. The vast majority of raccoons are not a threat to health or safety, and animal control knows this. Animal control is already over- whelmed with homeless and stray dogs and cats -- more products of human irresponsibility. The recent posturing and reckless, ill-informed state- ments by Philadelphia City officials evince a narrow, parochial view of the world, where animals are “things” to be subjugated and elimi- nated without a passing thought. This worldview has been discredited and rejected by more enlight- ened and progressive communities, who cherish the valuable contributions that animals make to the natural environment. A far better and more practical approach for Philadelphia officials would be to act as wise stewards of Philadel- phia’s environment and the animals who inhabit it. To do so, City officials need to promote the proper sense of responsibility in City residents to facilitate a harmonious relation- ship between human and animal residents. The City should be educating people about how to secure their homes and garbage to pre- vent “nuisance” behavior by animals. Public policy should not be directing scarce City resources to


open warfare against ani- mals when peaceful coex- istence will be cheaper and ultimately more successful in mitigating conflicts be- tween humans and animals. Raccoons of course don’t vote. They can’t speak in a language most humans comprehend. They don’t contribute to political campaigns. Ultimately, I believe, it is for these rea- sons that Mayor Nutter and City Council believe they can so cavalierly and callously disregard the interests of animals and seek to eliminate them. But Mayor Nutter and City Council seem to forget that people who care about these animals do vote; they do have a voice; and they do contribute to political campaigns. As a profes- sor who teaches animal law at a Philadelphia-area law school, I believe I can say with assurance that the number of people whose interests coincide with those of the animals they love is large and expanding. Philadelphia’s anti-animal agenda will in the long run only serve to strengthen the resolve and political will of people who care about animals to ensure that public policy, and the officials responsible for implementing it, will be animal-friendly. Mayor Nutter and City Council – you’d be well advised to take note.


Oh, and Mayor Nutter and City Council, I’m pretty sure at this point that the raccoons don’t care much for you either.


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