After pet raccoons and squirrels became campaign issue, GOP lawmakers pitch law in NH

Yahoo

06-03-2025

House Bill 251 would allow raccoons and gray squirrels to be kept as pets without a permit under certain circumstances. (Photo by)
A state agency's seizure and euthanasia of a New York man's pet squirrel and raccoon ignited viral outrage this fall — even drawing attention from the presidential campaign trail.
Now, a group of Republican lawmakers are seeking to allow the creatures as pets in New Hampshire under certain circumstances, but opponents warn the move could carry serious negative consequences for animal welfare and public health.
Peanut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon became symbols of anger in November after they were taken and put down by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. The move came after the agency received complaints about illegally held wildlife at a man's home and animal sanctuary, according to the Associated Press.
For some conservatives, the deaths became a rallying cry against government overreach. J.D. Vance criticized the agency at a North Carolina campaign rally, and said then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was 'fired up' about the issue.
Joan O'Brien, an animal advocate from Amherst, said she was heartened to hear so many people around the country care about these creatures and express outrage over their deaths. Still, she told lawmakers in a February hearing, she opposes the measure that would legalize raccoons and gray squirrels as pets in the state in some cases.
'Wild animals belong in the wild,' she said. '… We don't want to do anything that would encourage more people from taking wild animals and bringing them into their homes'
House Bill 251, which has yet to receive a vote in either chamber of the Legislature, would allow raccoons and gray squirrels to be kept as pets without a permit '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.'
But there are problems with the vaccine requirement in the text of the bill, said Dan Bergeron, the chief of the Fish and Game Department's wildlife division, who told lawmakers on the House Environment and Agriculture Committee that the agency opposes the legislation.
'The bill references that a squirrel or raccoon would have to have any required vaccinations,' Bergeron said. 'Currently, there are no statutes that we have that requires vaccinations for either of these animals, and one of the main reasons for that is because there are no approved vaccines for these animals, because they are wild animals. Any vaccination given to them would be considered off-label use, and the effectiveness is not proven.'
The animals can carry serious diseases, he said, including rabies, which has a virtually 100% fatality rate once symptoms appear. Rep. James Spillane, a Deerfield Republican and bill sponsor, expressed support for adding language to the bill that would spur rulemaking around vaccines for these animals.
Additionally, the bill allows those who relocate from a state where the animals are allowed as pets to keep them if they move to New Hampshire.
It also says that the animals 'shall not be confiscated or euthanized without the permission of the owner.' Spillane, in response to a question from a committee member, said he wouldn't be opposed to adding language to the bill that requires confiscation in a case where the animal bites someone, though he would still prefer that it be encouraged to seek an owner's permission before euthanizing an animal.
Bergeron also raised concerns about that portion of the bill as it was introduced. While he hopes that most owners would agree to euthanasia and confiscation when appropriate, 'I would not want to hang my hat on that … for a disease as deadly as rabies,' he said.
Kurt Ehrenberg, the New Hampshire state director for the Humane Society, an animal welfare nonprofit, said that these are wild animals with wild behaviors that are unpredictable. Their 'complex physical and social needs' can't be met in captivity, he said.
'They are often confined to small, barren cages, which prevent them from exhibiting natural behaviors, and suffer from poor nutrition, inadequate veterinary care, and mental distress,' Ehrenberg said. 'When they become too difficult to handle or care for, as they frequently do, owners often abandon them, turning them loose where they may die or threaten the native ecosystem.'
Meanwhile, Spillane sees the bill as a better alternative to the status quo, giving animals that are not fit to be returned to the wild another chance at life. Bergeron pointed out that not even rehabilitation centers can keep these animals indefinitely; if they cannot return to the wild, the state's rules say they should be euthanized. There may be opportunities to obtain an exhibitor permit, in which case the animal can be kept for educational purposes, he said.
In online testimony submissions, 17 people supported the bill, one — a representative from the Department of Health and Human Services who said the bill could potentially increase the risk of rabies — was neutral, and 78 opposed it.