[Title: Ask an Expert - Can wild animals be moved or relocated?]
Larissa: Welcome to the Ask an Expert series.
My name is Larissa Nituch and I’m a Science Operations Supervisor with the Province of Ontario.
The question is – Can wild animals be moved or relocated
Rabies and other wildlife diseases can be easily spread when animals are moved from one area to another and that's one of the main reasons why wildlife should not be moved more than one kilometre from where they are found.
In December of 2015, the recent raccoon strain rabies outbreak that we're experiencing here in Southern Ontario actually began when an animal was inadvertently moved from Eastern New York to Southern Ontario and began to spread the virus to other wildlife in the area.
This was the first case of raccoon strain rabies in Ontario in over a decade.
It's really important to recognize the risks involved with moving wildlife around the province.
To recognize the risks involved with moving wildlife around the province.
For more resources on rabies and rabies in wildlife visit the website Ontario.ca/rabies.