New Law Sparks Outrage in Alabama

UNDATED, Ala. (WCBI)-Animal lovers in Alabama are outraged by a new law they say is a ‘death sentence’ for helpless orphaned wildlife. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said yesterday that they would no longer issue permits for the rehabilitation of certain orphaned or injured raccoons, skunks, opossums, foxes, coyotes, feral pigs or bats. Wildlife officials say taking in orphaned or injured animals from the wild interrupts the food chain and could help spread disease.

Biologist Ray Metzler says, “…Animals die everyday…but it’s survival of the fittest.”

The agency says anyone who finds an orphaned animal should leave it in the wild.