(WKBN) – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources talked about what you can do to deal with a raccoon infestation after an issue in Boardman between a man and his neighbors.

ODNR said you have to handle it yourself, find a friend willing to do it for you or pay a licensed pest remover.

Relocating raccoons — or any animal that can contract rabies — without a permit is illegal in Ohio.

According to ODNR, the state is on the brink of overpopulation for raccoons, so any raccoon moved to a new area will most likely push out the ones already living there. They could also spread disease to other raccoons and wipe out a whole colony.

“That’s why distemper is always a concern. Raccoon-strain rabies is always a concern, and roundworm, just the general wildlife diseases. That’s what happens when there are too many. That’s Mother Nature’s control. One way or another, the population will be controlled,” said Brian Banbury, of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

If you have a problem with diseased, injured or nuisance raccoons, euthanizing them is really your only legal option. You can find more information about nuisance pests, like raccoons, on ODNR’s website.

Read More: Dealing with nuisance pests

It’s illegal to hunt and trap raccoons that are not diseased, injured or nuisance unless it’s their hunting season.