Catch and release may seem like a nice way to get rats out of your home, but, the stress on a caged animal is of huge concern to us and people seem to forget that rats are part of a family group. Separating one rat from it's family causes incredible amounts of stress to that poor rat. The other problem is rats are extremely territorial animals, and when a rat is caught, separated from its family, and released into another rat families territory, the other rats will attack it, and kill it, then eat it.
Even if the rat is released into an area with no other rats, the rat will go into fight, flight or freeze mode. Sadly for the released rat the mode it goes into is freeze. This makes it an easy target for predators.
So as you can see, catch and release of rats isn't as friendly as you may have been led to believe. That's why we don't do it.
On the U.K. Government website it states in BIG BOLD LETTERS two things that may be of interest. This is what it says:
It’s an offence to keep or release some wild animals, for example grey squirrels - you must kill them humanely if you catch them alive.
You can be fined or imprisoned if you cause unnecessary harm to any animal.
LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN FOR YOU AS IT SEEMS CONFUSING:
Where it says, "It's an offence to keep or release some wild animals" the phrase 'release some wild animals' is animals such as grey squirrels and other invasive animals back into the wild once they have been captured
It then states "You can be fined or imprisoned if you cause unnecessary harm to any animal."
This statement can, understandably, cause some confusion. Surely if you catch something in a live trap it isn't causing any unnecessary harm?
Well if there is no extra food or water inside the live catch trap, that’s unnecessary harm! (Small animals have a vastly faster metabolism, they need to eat almost constantly. Keeping a caged animal without food or water is UNNECESSASARY HARM.)
If the animal is caught in one of these 'humane' traps, how often is the trap checked? Is it checked every few hours, 24/7? If not you will probably be committing an offence as the stress on the captured animal is UNNECESSARY HARM.
You may also think to yourself, "well releasing a pest isn't going to cause any harm." WRONG. Mammals such as rats and mice are part of a hierarchy. The hierarchy is created because they always live in a family group or group of families living as one big family. When one of the family is captured in a live catch trap and released into the wild it now has no family support. It will be highly stressed in its new environment. It will not know its way around its new home. It will be easy picking for predators and cats. Even other rats and mice are likely to attack and kill it as it has now been put in their territory! Again UNNECESSARY HARM.
Stressing an animal is unnecessary harm. Putting a pack animal into a strange and unknown environment is unnecessary harm. Scaring an animal is unnecessary harm.
SO, IS CATCH AND RELEASE LEGAL?
We don't believe so, not when you take into account the animal welfare act and many other laws governing pest animals, invasive animals, and all animals in general.
It’s an offence to keep or release some wild animals, for example grey squirrels - you must kill them humanely if you catch them alive.
You can be fined or imprisoned if you cause unnecessary harm to any animal.
PLEASE REMEMBER: WE DO NOT MAKE THE LAWS OF THE LAND. BUT, YOU, LIKE US, MUST OBEY THE LAW.
CAN RATS BE REMOVED IN AN ANIMAL FRIENDY OR VEGAN WAY?
They sure can. But only if you know exactly what you are doing! The Pest Interceptors team has decades of experience when it comes to removing rats from your house and have developed a process where we use the rats natural behaviour to get the rats out of your house once and for all.
Here is the amazing thing about our VEGAN RAT FREE LIFETIME GUARANTEE…
Not only will we remove the rats from your home without harming any rats. WE WILL GUARANTEE FOR YOUR LIFETIME IN YOUR HOME THAT YOU WILL BE RAT FREE…OR YOUR MONEY BACK!*
No traps, no catch and release, no poisons, no law breaking.
HERE IS HOW WE DO VEGAN RAT CONTROL:
*Terms and conditions apply.