We don’t have a hearing date yet, but New Hampshire’s Bill to protect raccoons and squirrels as pets has language we can read. If you missed it, we covered the story back in November when the legislative service request popped up in the wake of a raid in New York State, resulting in the euthanization (execution) of P’Nut and his Raccoon friend.
The internet sensation offended some out-of-state Karen, and the NYS – New York Stasi went to work.
In some places, you can’t get cops to show up sooner than a pizza, but they were on this like white on rice. Neither P’Nut nor his human “partners” had a chance.
And the news may have swung the election for Trump, we may never know, but the reaction we did experience was outrage and horror. You can’t stop or detain illegal alien sex predators, but there’s plenty of time to SWAT a family and kill a little animal whose internet presence made people smile.
Biden’s America.
Ten legislators in New Hampshire, all Republican (8 House, 2 Senate), agreed and stepped up to protect these critters – in those circumstances – from our own local Stasi (we know they’re out there) here in the Granite State.
New Paragraph; Wildlife Division; Animals Allowed to Be Owned Without Permit. Amend RSA 207:14 by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraph:
III-a. Raccoons and gray squirrels may be possessed as companion animals without a permit from the department if a wildlife rehabilitation facility makes the determination that the animal cannot survive in the wild and such animal is up to date on any vaccines required. If an owner of a raccoon or gray squirrel cannot satisfy the requirements of this paragraph, the fish and game commission may charge them with a fine set in rules adopted under RSA 541-A and the animal shall be examined and, if necessary, vaccinated. The raccoon or gray squirrel shall not be confiscated or euthanized without the permission of the owner. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as enabling the trapping, breeding, and sale of raccoons and gray squirrels. If a person relocates from a state where it is legal to keep a raccoon or gray squirrel, such person can keep such raccoon or gray squirrel so long as such animal is up to date on any vaccines required.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2026.
Some may black at the vaccine mandate, but not too many. Rabies is a real threat, and it makes sense to ensure that these critters are free of anything that represents a public health threat. BUt not without some cost.
The fiscal note states that,
This bill allows the ownership of squirrels and raccoons deemed unable to survive in the wild.
The Fish and Game Department assumes this bill could lead to a significant increase in
enforcement actions to ensure these wild animals were obtained legally and met the statutory
requirements. The Department states it would need to develop a system to document and track
animals that were determined by a wildlife rehabilitator to be unable to survive in the wild,
who the rehabilitator was, the reasoning for why the animal could not be released to the wild,
what type of animal it was, and who the animal was turned over to. The Department states
this will result in an indeterminable increase in state expenditures for the development and
maintenance of a reporting/tracking system as well as the increase in staff hours for
enforcement. The overall fiscal impact is calculated as being between $10,000 and $100,000.
Lastly, the Department estimates any impact on fine revenue collected would be less than
$10,000 in any year.
I could see the bureaucrats wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to grow their reach and influence, which might turn a few people off unless the language is amended to keep them in check.
And I can’t see why towns wouldn’t want to make a few bucks licensing them and ensuring their rabies vaccines are up to date, like dogs, for example.
How about the a-ok of the local vet instead of Fish and Game (even when they are the source of the placement of a rescued animal).? And while it is annoying to have to relicense my dog each year – if we’re not getting rid of that, Racoon and squirrel parents shouldn’t black at the idea of a few bucks to do the same.
I’m just trying to find a path that protects all the other P’Nuts while keeping the regulators from getting out of hand.
I’m sure I’ve skipped some details or options, and confident that you’ll remind me if I did.
Or, you can also skip the processing fees and send us a check—email steve@granitegrok.com for the address.
