Moving a wild animal in Quebec: what the law prohibits since raccoon rabies
A raccoon trapped in a cage, an hour’s drive, a wooded area far from home, and the matter seems to be settled. This is the most common reflex among homeowners on the South Shore. Since the summer of 2026, it has also been an offence in dozens of municipalities in Quebec. The Ministry of the Environment tightened the rules as raccoon rabies progressed, and moving a captured wild animal on your property is now subject to a specific legal framework, with fines at stake. The Official Fact Sheets on Wildlife in Quebec say it in black and white, but few people consult them before loading a cage into the trunk.
Moving a raccoon is banned in 53 more municipalities since August
The ban applies to five groups of animals: raccoons, striped skunks, red foxes, grey foxes, and coyotes and their hybrids. It applies to living individuals, whether they are unwelcome, injured or seemingly orphaned.
On August 7, 2026, the government extended the measure to 53 additional municipalities, divided between Montérégie, Estrie and Centre-du-Québec. Twenty in Montérégie, including Sorel-Tracy and Yamaska. Nine in Estrie. Twenty-four in Centre-du-Québec, including Drummondville. These municipalities are in addition to those already targeted since June 7, 2026, a list that included Boucherville, Contrecoeur, Saint-Amable, Varennes and Verchères.
In other words: a good part of the territory that we serve on a daily basis. A customer in Boucherville who captures a raccoon in his garage and releases it in Mont-Saint-Hilaire is committing an offence, even if he thinks he is doing the right thing.
Rabies has been circulating since December 2024, and that’s the whole reason
The ministry has recorded 220 confirmed cases of raccoon rabies since December 2024. The figure was 148 as of May 22, 2026. The progression in a few months explains why the orders follow one another in two-month periods rather than by permanent decision: the perimeter follows the disease.
The health logic is simple. An infected animal may show no signs for weeks. Transporting it 40 kilometres away means taking the risk of creating a new outbreak in an area that was previously spared, and setting back years of surveillance. Quebec conducts vaccination operations using bait dropped from planes, a costly operation that each uncontrolled movement can compromise.
An animal behaving abnormally, disoriented, aggressive or active in broad daylight while its species is nocturnal, must be reported to 1 877 346-6763. Not caught. Not approached. Reported.
The human aspect also counts. A bite or scratch, even superficial, even from an animal that seemed in great shape, justifies an immediate call to Info-Santé 811. Rabies is unforgiving once symptoms have been declared, whereas post-exposure treatment works if it is initiated in time. The same instructions apply to a dog or cat that comes home with an unexplained wound after a night out. Vaccinating your pets is not a veterinary formality in this context, it is the barrier that separates you from the problem.
What to do instead of moving the animal that has settled
The real question is not where to release the animal, but why it entered. A raccoon that settles in an attic finds three things: warmth, an opening, and often food nearby. Remove the individual without addressing these three points, and another one will take its place in a few weeks. The government files say it bluntly: live capture is considered ineffective in solving a damage problem, precisely because of this replacement.
The approach that works is called exclusion. All the accesses are identified, they are closed except one, a one-way device is installed on the remaining one, and the animal is waited to come out on its own. The verification technique recommended by the ministry is a one-way gesture: sprinkle flour in front of the last opening and read the traces before sealing. No return fingerprints for two or three nights, the way is clear.
This is exactly what our animal capture and exclusion service covers, with the repair of entry points in the process. Our interventions on raccoons and skunks have always followed this protocol, long before the decrees imposed it.
The calendar is very important. Raccoons give birth in April or May. Skunks around the end of May, and young start to come out in early July. Sealing an opening during this window means walling up an entire litter. The smell that follows will cost you more than the procedure you wanted to avoid.
The part that no one likes to fund remains: what the animal leaves behind. An attic occupied during a winter contains feces, urine absorbed by the insulation, sometimes a carcass. Puffed wool loses its insulating value as soon as it is packed and soiled, and the odours remind other individuals the following year, because the markings remain legible to them long after your nose has forgotten. Closing without sanitizing is like putting a bandage on an infection. That’s why our catch records almost always end with a decontamination, not by removing the cage.
Seventy-five kilometers, the river, and the rules that apply everywhere
Outside the areas under order, relocation is not free. Two limits apply to all of Quebec: an animal is not released more than 75 kilometres from its place of capture, and it is not taken across the St. Lawrence River. These rules existed before rabies and remain in effect.
A point that surprises many homeowners: no permit is required to kill an unwelcome animal as a last resort, even outside the hunting and trapping seasons. However, the discharge of a firearm remains regulated by municipal by-laws, which makes the option theoretical in residential areas.
| Target species | Movement within an area under order | General out-of-area boundary | Calving | Safe exclusion window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raccoon | Prohibited | 75 km, without crossing the river | April to May | End of August to March |
| Barred skunk | Forbidden | 75 km, without crossing the river | Late May | Mid-July to April |
| Red fox | Forbidden | 75 km, without crossing the river | March to April | July to February |
| Grey Fox | Forbidden | 75 km, without crossing the river | March to April | July to February |
| Coyote and hybrids | Prohibited | 75 km, without crossing the river | April to May | August to March |
| Grey Squirrel | Not targeted | 75 km, without crossing the Mars River | , then July | May to June, October to February |
Contrary to what we often read, calling a professional is not only to avoid a bite. It is used to ensure that the intervention remains legal from start to finish, and that it holds. A company that still offers to release the animal in the forest in a by-law municipality exposes you to a fine, not them. Knowing how to recognize a certified exterminator in Quebec becomes a useful reflex.
Questions that come up from our customers
How do I know if my municipality is targeted?
The list changes with each order. It is published on the Government of Quebec website, and the current period at the time of writing ran until October 6, 2026, with possible extension. Consult the up-to-date list before any manipulation.
What if the animal is injured or orphaned?
The restrictions also cover rehabilitation. A raccoon or skunk found alone should not be transported to a rehabilitation centre in the targeted areas. Instead, report it to the ministry line.
Is a squirrel or a groundhog the same?
No. The order only targets the five named species, those that carry raccoon rabies. For the others, the general rules of 75 kilometres apply, and so does common sense: a squirrel released too close will come back.
What do I risk in concrete terms?
Violations of the Act respecting the conservation and development of wildlife result in fines. The amount varies according to the nature of the act and the recidivism. In addition, there is a risk that is poorly assessed: that of having handled a potentially carrier animal without protection, and then having to justify the act to a doctor.
Can I just plug the hole?
Only after confirming that the building is empty, and never during the period when young people are in it. It is the verification that costs time, not the sealing.
An animal in an attic is no longer a DIY problem since rabies has been circulating in Montérégie. It is a file with dates, a list of municipalities and a procedure. Our teams work on this territory every day and follow the bylaws as they come out: a call before installing a cage may save you from a fine, and certainly a second infestation. Nova Extermination operates throughout the South Shore, from Varennes to Sorel.
