A North York man has admitted to causing an animal distress after keeping a raccoon caged in a trap on his property for more than two weeks over the winter.
Giovanni Marchese pleaded guilty to a charge under the Ontario SPCA Act after holding the raccoon in a live trap without providing food, water or proper shelter.
Ontario SPCA agents responded to a public complaint on Jan. 4, 2011 and found that the raccoon had gone into a state of tupor, or hibernation, in an attempt to survive being caged out in the cold for two weeks.
Alison Cross, a spokesperson for the Ontario SPCA, said the raccoon's natural hibernation instinct likely saved its life by helping it survive under brutal circumstances.
"Because of the time of year that raccoon was trapped it was able to shut itself down," Cross said, adding that the raccoon likely would have died had it been caught during the summer.
Cross said the animal has been released back into the wild near to where it had been captured.
Marchese was sentenced to a $1,000 fine, was given two years probation and prohibited from using live traps for the rest of his life.
The Ontario SPCA says that live trapping can be just as inhumane as other forms of trapping and can cause the animal suffering and injuries.
"The homeowner should take action to determine what attracted the animal to their property and remove or repair the sources of attraction," Chief Inspector Connie Mallory said in a statement. "Otherwise, another animal will take up residence once the other trapped animal has been removed, which can turn into a frustrating, recurring problem."
