At the Town of Strathmore's council meeting last week (Feb 7), the town adopted an amended policy regarding animal trapping, neutering, and spaying practices.

The Animal Trapping, Neuter, and Spay policy is to maintain a humane, effective, and financially sustainable strategy for controlling domestic cats and non-domestic animals within the town limits. 

This policy ensures animals are humanely trapped and released while taking into account the animal's health and welfare.

This will also address the public's concerns surrounding feral and domestic animals roaming around town. 

The policy was also approved by the council in 2019 and then brought up for review and amendment as it was identified as being no longer in alignment with current municipal practices. 

Some of the changes to the policy include a revised policy statement, updated definitions, updates to responsibilities for municipal enforcement staff, revisions to services provided, and updates to the disposal of animals. 

“The rationale for this change is to provide some updated clarity on the policy, really that we trap two types of animals like skunks, non-domestic, and cats,” said the director of community and protective services with the Town of Strathmore. Mark Pretzlaff.

Many of those changes are mostly for legal purposes and to maintain as much of the previous procedures as possible, Pretzlaff added. 

Town councilor Debbie Mitzner addressed the concerns noted by residents and inquired about how raccoons would be dealt with under the policy. 

"Racoons fall under Alberta Fish and Wildlife and are not addressable with the town resources. This is due to requiring additional and specific resources to safely trap and relocate the animals, which the town does not currently have."

Strathmore Town Council voted unanimously to pass the new policy. 

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