My proposition is that the Department of Natural Resources changes their policy so that there is no law to prevent citizens from rehabbing wildlife.

Imagine you wake up the day after a storm hits and step outside to assess the damage. Its nothing too bad, but you find a pair of infant squirrels lying underneath a tree they clearly fell from. You wait a couple hours but there is no sign of mama squirrel. You call a couple of rehabbers in your state, but they're currently up to capacity and cannot accept any more animals…would you leave these infants to die or would you try and save them in any way you could? Rehabbing wildlife should be legal in Illinois and should not require a license. The Department of Natural Resources is meant to protect and help our natural ecosystems and the wildlife in it, but it seems like the department is hindering rather than helping. Rehabbers and wildlife officials have the same goal in mind: to protect wildlife. Unfortunately the DNR is making it difficult to allow people with the same motive and good intentions to rehab wildlife because the state of Illinois requires a permit to do so. It is easier to kill an animal than to save one. According to Illinois periodicals online, “When a complaint is received, DNR usually sends a CPO to verify that a nuisance exists. If it does, the person can be issued a permit specifying how the wildlife will be captured or destroyed and the method of disposal.” The article then goes on to state that a nuisance can range from squirrels or raccoons in attics, skunks under front porches, to deer eating shrubbery or rows of corn. So if a squirrel is unlucky enough to not find a suitable home in time for winter and its last resort is crawling into your attic that’s enough reason to get it killed. Or if a hungry deer wanders into your garden or backyard in search of food because it doesn’t understand the concept of property lines it can be “captured or destroyed”. Think of all the lives that could be saved if we don’t allow the government to take control over what's in our own backyards. We need to stand up for the creatures that don’t have voices, we would not only be saving their lives but possibly saving our faith in our own humanity. If a person is ready and willing to rehab why shouldn't they have the right to do so without a long and drawn out process?