New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Selectmen OK with wildlife rehabilitation
GUILFORD — After hearing residents speak of the need for people to care for orphaned and injured wildlife in town, as well as concerns about rats and odors, the Board of Selectmen voted Tuesday morning to allow certified wildlife rehabilitators to operate in town.
The issue now moves the issue of Eunice Demond’s Little Rascals Rescue and Rehabilitation to the Plan
ning and Zoning Commission to determine whether she can continue to take in baby raccoons and other animals at her 311 Old Whitfield St. home.
Before the unanimous vote to approve the revised ordinance, Selectwoman Susan Renner said the ordinance was “an example of taking away someone’s right to … what anyone can do on their property for the sake of public safety.”
Selectman Charles Havida said the change was being made to be sure wildlife rescue and rehabilitation is “done in a proper, professional way … Everybody has good intentions but you know we do have responsibility for all the taxpayers.”
Most commenters spoke in favor of Demond, who has operated Little Rascals since 2012 and is known locally as the “Raccoon Guru.” Two residents of Old Whitfield Street spoke against the rescue facility operating on their street.
They included Alicia Dolce, who lives next-door to Demond and whose husband, Bill Freeman, wrote to town officials to complain about the size of Little Rascals, as well as rats, odors and flies. Town Attorney Peter Barrett then told the selectmen that the existing ordinance was inadequate and was enacted in 1991 when there was concern about a rabies outbreak in town.
“It prohibits feeding, harboring or sheltering certain animals, which could occur not only at somebody’s home or business, but it could be from your car or in a public park or on the Green or anything else,” Barrett said. It also allowed the health director to add species without public review or action by selectmen.
First Selectman Matt Hoey said, “There is some recognition that the work Eunice Demond does has value” and that there are 15 licensed wildlife rehabilitators in Connecticut, including Demond. He said the ordinance does not address whether Demond’s operation is operating within the zoning regulations.
Dolce said seven residents had met with Hoey “just because we all live in close proximity to Little Rascals and we just and we just had questions about, again that this had been fast-tracked prior to the Planning and Zoning hearing tomorrow.”
She said she believes the revision “doesn’t go far enough to address concerns,” including animal waste, which attracts flies and has a stench. “We’ve had rats for three years and we currently have problems of rats in our backyard,” she said.
Dolce added that “if a neighbor has a problem or a concern or … complaint, that’s the only thing that sets into motion an inspection of the facility. … No one wants the responsibility of alerting the town that they have rats in their backyard, there’s a foul stench, there’s an abundance of flies.”
She said notifying the town “exposes you to unbelievable character assassination, social media … If the town really sees value in having this facility located in Guilford, I think the logical question is, what can the town do to successfully support Eunice’s ability to rehab animals while also making sure there are no negative impacts on the neighbors and people who walk by.”
Later, Demond said she didn’t know of any rat problems. “Right now, there’s nothing in my pens. There’s no food available for them,” she said. “So if they’re in their backyard, they’re getting food somewhere. It’s not from my facility and it’s not coming from my property.”
Nicki Korman, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Guilford, said she met Eunice when a client told her about a baby squirrel in her parking lot. “I found the name of Eunice and I cannot believe the service she provided to this baby squirrel,” she said. She said she since has become a volunteer with Little Rascals and has sent clients to volunteer clean and feed animals.
“I’ve had adolescents over at her facility. She’s absolutely wonderful. She’s very responsible, very dedicated and very knowledgable,” Korman said.
Steve O’Connor said he recently moved to Old Whitfield Street and “had no idea what Little Rascals was. When we moved here it was very small. If it was 10-by-10 that would be about the size that I would think . ... We had always assumed it was a playground.”
Rose Morals of Claws N Paws Rehabilitation Center in New Britain, said there are fewer than a dozen rehabilitators certified to handle rabies vector species such as raccoons. “Part of the problem is, we have to take in all of the expenses, formula, food, cages, enclosures and including our rabies shots. The state does not provide this,” she said. She asked if a different location were selected who would be responsible for the costs of rent, utilities and 24-hour staffing.
“Eunice does all this without any pay. It all comes out of your pocket,” Morals said.
Cindy Vaporis of East Haven said she thought the new ordinance was a good one but questioned if it’s decided to move Little Rascals “it shouldn’t be at someone else’s expense. Why can’t we just have a mediator with these two neighbors and see if they can talk it out?”
Rick Sandella of Tuttles Point Road said, “The issue is that we are losing habitat for animals here in Guilford, here in Connecticut and around the globe.” He said wildlife rehabilitators “are so overwhelmed, if you ever call one, they haven’t slept in hours. We really need a solution here.”
The PZC will continue its public hearing on Demond’s application for a special permit to continue operating Little Rascals at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Nathanael Greene Community Center.