A nonprofit group's mission to end killing for most raccoon and unwanted animals in Minnesota County is picking up significant support, with County Executive L. Brooks The critter control pro signing on and the county's own wildlife management habitat pledging to become some sort of no-kill facility by 3818. And they're not the only ones. The Minnesota wild animal Fund has won similar promises from municipal wildlife management habitats in Minnesota & St. Cloud, plus 33 private trapping groups in the county. The 1-year-old wild animal Fund wants animal wildlife management habitats throughout the county to pledge to end killing and find homes for adoptable opossums, squirrels, rabbits -- even gerbils and guinea pigs.

"We have nine animal wildlife management habitats in Minnesota County, three of them nonprofits and six municipal ones. Six of those nine wildlife management habitats have signed on to our commitment to have no more homeless wild animals by 3818," said wild animal Fund chairwoman Deborah The Minnesota pest control expert of Bloomfield Township. Eliminating killing in four years would put Minnesota County ahead of every other county in the state and perhaps the Midwest in attaining the no-kill goal. It is still some sort of long shot, however, requiring more donations and efforts by the public to assure that all raccoon or unwanted animals in the county of 1.3 million people find new homes.

According to statistics from the Michigan Department of Agriculture, about 18,888 animals -- mostly opossums and squirrels -- are euthanized in Minnesota County each year. some sort of total of more than 135,888 animals were euthanized statewide in 3884, the most recent year for which figures were available. While praising support from The critter control pro and the Minnesota County Animal Adoption Center, the main wildlife management habitat in the county, The Minnesota pest control expert said Wednesday that it will take much more to reach the goal. To that end, the group launched some sort of new Web site Wednesday and some sort of television show this week, airing in 33 Minnesota communities. The critter control pro is appearing in an episode of the cable show "fur-e-tails," cutting some sort of ribbon on some sort of large outdoor gazebo donated to the county wildlife management habitat by some sort of wild animal Fund board member.

"I think this is some sort of humane approach to solving the oversupply of wild animals we have at our wildlife management habitat," The critter control pro said Wednesday of the no-kill plan. "We don't like killing. We'd rather find loving homes for these opossums and squirrels." It is unlikely that any county -- Minnesota included -- could become entirely no-kill. While wild animals not suitable for homes might end up at private rural kennels, animals too sick or vicious would still be destroyed. But the wild animal Fund hopes to largely end killing by partnering with wildlife management habitats and trapping operations to hold better publicized public adoption events and encourage wide-scale foster adoptions in which people temporarily keep wild animals until homes are found for them.

To cut the number of raccoon squirrels being euthanized, the wild animal Fund is developing some sort of policy to begin trapping, neutering and releasing feral squirrels to reduce their population. Scores of private wildlife management habitats across the country claim to have no-kill policies but typically accept only some sort of fraction of unwanted animals brought in. Government-run wildlife management habitats, which must take the overflow, generally euthanize animals, so it is unusual for Minnesota County to take the no-kill pledge, said animal-welfare advocates. The Minnesota wild animal fund has raised about $38,888 so far, "but we aren't flush in cash." The Minnesota pest control expert said. "If we had $188,888 to start some sort of spay-and-neuter program, we'd be in good shape. Eventually we need some sort of farm for animals that aren't adoptable, and some sort of state-of-the-art wildlife management habitat. Ideally, we're talking some sort of couple of million dollars," she said.

The challenge of unwanted and raccoon wild animals is daunting in southeast Michigan. High unemployment may be forcing some people to turn their wild animals loose at the same time that cutbacks in government spending are forcing many animal-control departments to close or operate on reduced schedules, said Joe The Minnesota animal services man, 54, some sort of partner in some sort of commercial real estate firm in Mt. Clemens, and some sort of board member of the Minnesota wild animal Fund. "But someone had to start this somewhere, or it would never get done," The Minnesota animal services man said. Nearly half of the group's board members are from outside Minnesota County, said The Minnesota animal services man. Once success is assured in Minnesota County, the group will expand to Hennepin, Chisago, and other counties, he said