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Orlando Wildlife - Frequently Asked
Questions
What do you do with
the animals once they are captured?
If the animal is healthy and it is legal to do so,
I relocate it far outside the city at one of
several privately owned relocation points at which
I have permission to release wild animals. It is
not legal to relocate wildlife to public lands, so
if you trap your own animal (and this one step
probably won't solve your wildlife problem) don't
bring it down to the local park. All relocated
wildlife should be brought at least ten miles from
the capture site, and released in an area in which
it won't pose a problem - that is, wildlife should
not be relocated to urban areas.
If the animal is sick, old, or injured, and I do
not think that it stands a good chance of
survival, or if the law dictates that I must, I
will humanely euthanize the animal. I use a CO2
chamber - it is my belief that this is the most
humane way to put an animal down. The animal
breathes in carbon dioxide instead of oxygen - it
remains comfortable, unlike drowning, but it gets
dizzy and passes out and gently goes to sleep. I
don't have to put down many animals, and in truth
I don't always have a lot of wildlife in my
possession because I ultimately aim to solve the
root of the wildlife problem - say, by sealing off
the holes they use to enter your home - than just
trapping everything in sight. Still, there are
rare times when I must put down an animal.
Overall, I care a lot about the animals that I
deal with, and I aim to be very humane.
Can't the city or
county take care of the problem for free?
No. There is no city animal control, and the
county animal services handles only domestic
animals - dogs and cats. They handle things such
as bite reports, pet abuse complaints, domestic
disputes, barking or dangerous dogs, etc. As
recently as 10-15 years ago, depending on county,
the county animal services would assist in certain
wildlife removal cases. But even then, they
wouldn't do professional wildlife control work -
they'd slowly get a trap out to you, perhaps catch
an animal, perhaps not. They would not, for
example, inspect your home and attic, remove a
litter of baby raccoons from the attic, trap the
mother, seal off all the entry points, and clean
and decontaminate the droppings left behind.
They'd drop a trap on the ground and maybe catch a
stay opossum. Wildlife control is specialty and
skilled work, and not something to expect a
government agency to take care of.
If you have a problem with a dog or a cat, please
call the county animal services. Note, if you have
a cat problem that involves something like going
into an attic or under a crawl space, the county
will not handle it. Here are the numbers for
Greater Orlando:
Orange County Animal Services: 407-836-3111
Seminole County Animal Services: 407-665-5201
Osceola County Animal Services: 407-343-7101
If you have a problem with any type of wild
animal, say a squirrel, rat, opossum, raccoon,
bat, or snake, then you have to call a state
licensed nuisance trapper. In my biased
recommendation, I suggest that you call the finest
nuisance wildlife control operator in the land -
David Seerveld of 24/7 Wildlife Removal.
Can't my regular pest
control company take care of this?
Almost certainly not - pest control companies are
licensed and trained in poison use, particularly
for insects. They usually spray poison on the yard
or house, and charge for monthly or quarterly
contracts. They use the same methods when they try
to control mice & rats (with inferior and
costly results) and even have been known to
illegally try to use poisons on other animals,
such as bats. A wildlife problem is VERY different
from an insect problem, and should be dealt with
only by a professional nuisance wildlife trapper
who has extensive experience dealing with
wildlife. Most wildlife cases are far more
involved than insect cases, and involve hands-on
removal of animals, not a simple spray solution.
If you do call your regular exterminator to take
care of a wildlife issue, beware - they may
recommend a lousy company that charges obscenely
high prices and gives a kickback to the
exterminator.
Do you use poisons?
NO. Poisoning animals is a ridiculous,
ineffective, inhumane, and often illegal approach
to wildlife control. First of all, poisons are
typically only used for rat control -
rodenticides. There are no legal or registered
poisons for use on other animals, such as
squirrels, raccoons, opossums, etc. Second of all,
poisons simply DO NOT WORK. They will kill only a
% of the rats, maybe half, and if the root of the
problem is not solved, new rats will keep coming
and coming. Plus, you'll be left with stinking
dead rats in your attic and walls. Finally, I
consider poisons inhumane - it's a very unpleasant
death that they cause - if you care, anyway. The
most important thing to realize is that poisons
only scratch the surface of solving the problem. I
use a process called integrated pest
management. IPM involves the combined use of
trapping, excluding, and habitat modification to
take care of the problem. If there are rats in
your attic, I inspect the entire house and, most
importantly, seal points of entry so that no rats
can ever get into your home ever again, eliminate
food access, and trap and remove all remaining
rats, and the problem is permanently solved.
Do you take care of
termites or other insects?
No. Insects fall under the umbrella of pest
control, which is an entirely different
field than nuisance wildlife control. If
you have a problem with insects, you must contact
a pest control company. Look in your local yellow
pages under "pest control" for a phone number.
What types of traps do
you use?
I use whatever trap is most effective and
appropriate for the situation that I am dealing
with (as long as it is approved by the Florida
Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission). For
the most part, I trap and remove animals in humane
cage traps. Oftentimes, I am able to use one-way
exclusion doors to let animals get out of homes,
but not back in. I do not use lethal traps such as
body-grip traps. These are illegal in Florida
anyway.
What is your service
range?
I service the greater Orlando area. I will travel
further, often state-wide, for very large
projects, such as commercial bat control projects.
However, for the normal stuff, I pretty much stick
within a 20-mile radius of downtown Orlando. Here
is a list of some of the local areas that I serve:
How long have you been
in business?
I began operating in 2000, giving me six years of
experience currently. In that time I've done
literally thousands of jobs, and I am often called
upon to handle the toughest jobs that no other
companies will handle. If you call a company that
advertises "Serving Central Florida for over 50
years!" there's a good chance they'll send out a
fresh technician with two weeks of training and a
few months of experience under his belt.
Are you licensed?
Yes. I am licensed by the state of Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a nuisance
wildlife trapper, and I carry city and county
occupational licenses.
Are you insured?
Yes. I carry commercial general liability
insurance with coverage up to $500,000. I will
provide a certificate of insurance upon request,
or have my insurer send a direct certificate made
out to you.
Do you carry workers
comp?
I am in full compliance with Florida's worker's
comp laws. Non-construction industry sole
proprietors and partners are AUTOMATICALLY EXEMPT
by Florida Law, from the provisions of Chapter
440, Florida Statutes (Florida Workers'
Compensation Law). I can provide a letter from the
state proving my exempt status.
Why do you charge the
prices you do?
Nuisance Wildlife Control is a specialty business.
It requires a unique set of skills and a great
deal of knowledge and training. I began studying
the field in college, and spent two additional
years in an apprenticeship. It is a field with
unique risks. Nuisance wildlife control operators
take care of difficult problems that few people
can properly, legally, or safely handle. I am not
some bumbling redneck trapper. I am a college
educated and state licensed professional. People
seem to have no problem paying the electrician or
plumber for their skills, and you won't find them
crawling in a hot attic to remove a litter of
raccoons with an angry mother raccoon lurking
nearby! Please be aware that you are paying for a
special service. I find that all of my customers
feel that they have received a very good value,
after they talk to me in person, and get their
problem quickly and professionally taken care of.
From my observations of competing company's price
quotes, my prices average about 1/3 the average,
for what I believe is the best work in the area.
For a complete list of current prices, click here:
prices for
animal control in Orlando.
What forms of payment
do you accept?
Pretty much any form you prefer - cash, check, and
major credit cards - Visa, Mastercard, American
Express, & Discover.
What if I see an
Alligator?
I don't handle alligators because of the special
regulations behind this animal - all nuisance
alligator complaints go through the state of
Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission. If you
need to report a nuisance alligator, call
1-866-FWC-GATOR (1-866-392-4286). They will
typically only respond to calls for larger
alligators. Anything under 5 feet isn't really be
a threat to anything other than
fish/frogs/turtles.
Do you pick up
orphaned animals?
Yes, for a one-time service fee, I will come to
the property, pick up the baby orphaned animals
(usually raccoons, opossums, or squirrels) and
bring them to a state licensed wildlife
rehabilitator. If you want to do this yourself,
please contact any of these local rehabbers:
Back To Nature Wildlife Preserve: 407-568-5138
Lee Harr, in downtown Orlando: 407-277-7232
Mary Jane Isner in Altamonte: 407-260-6137
...note, these people will not pick up the animal
for you. You must transport it yourself.
What if I find an
injured or baby bird?
You're in luck. Call Ann Young, "The Bird Lady".
She is a world renown wild bird rehabber, and she
runs a wild bird refuge right here at 205 Robin
Road in Altamonte Springs, FL 32701. Her phone
number is 407-339-2900. Please give her a donation
so that she can continue to run her clinic. If you
happen upon a bird of prey (hawk, falcon, owl,
etc) call the Orlando Audubon society at
407-644-0190.
Do you pick up dead
animals?
Yes, for a one-time service fee I will come to the
property, remove the dead animal, and dispose of
the carcass in an acceptable manner. If you merely
see a dead animal in the road, you can try the
county services, and they may take care of it for
you.
Will you help out with
dog or cat issues?
No. I'm constantly harassed by phone calls about
dog and cat problems. Confused people will call
me, saying, "I'm calling to report that my
neighbor has a dangerous pit-bull..." This is not
my area of jurisdiction. I run a privately owned
wildlife removal business. For any problems with
dogs or cats, call the county animal services.
Their number can always be found in the blue pages
(government listings) section of your local phone
book. I occasionally deal with cat problems when
the county won't - such as cats living in an
attic.
Which animals do you
handle?
Almost any wildlife that a property owner deems a
nuisance. This basically involves the following
animals: Raccoons, armadillos, squirrels,
opossums, snakes, bats, rats, mice, dead animals,
and pigeons. I will assist with feral cats in
cases of unwillingness by the county, such as cats
in attics or under houses. I usually solve
problems with animals living in people's attics,
but handle a wide variety of human-wildlife
conflict scenarios.
Which animals don't
you handle?
I do not handle black bear, or any federally
endangered or threatened species. Most birds are
protected under the federal migratory bird
protection act, though I will do occasional work
like removing a hawk or owl stuck in a house. I do
not handle alligators, which require a separate
license. I am unequipped and unwilling to handle
wild boar. For assistance with any special animal
concerns such as alligators, please contact the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
at 352-732-1225 (they will NOT assist you with
your personal normal wildlife problem, i.e.
raccoon, snake, squirrel, etc.)
Have you ever been
bitten by an animal?
Everyone asks me this, so I'll post it here. I've
been bitten a few times, mostly because I've dealt
with thousands of wild animals. However, never
seriously. One time I accidentally reached my
finger into a cage with a raccoon, and it lurched
with lightning speed and took a chunk out of my
right index finger. I've also been bitten by
various non-venomous snakes, which I often capture
by hand. For the most part an experienced wildlife
operator should never be bitten.
What is the strangest
thing you've ever caught?
Everyone asks this as well. I pretty much stick to
the same sort of scenarios over and over again:
squirrels in the attic, rats in the walls, bats in
buildings, armadillos under the house, etc. It's
not like I wake up one day and find a Koala Bear
in a trap. However, every now and then I do get
interesting jobs. I've done things such as remove
a hawk from a clothing store, remove bats above a
pool of Killer Whales, catch an owl in a house,
remove an opossum from a car engine, etc. Here are
some examples of some interesting jobs:
Do all wild animals
carry rabies?
Any mammal can potentially carry rabies. However,
there's only a few animals that seem to be
relevant rabies vectors. In Florida, it's mostly
raccoons and bats that are of concern. Otters,
foxes, and some other animals may also carry and
transmit rabies, but they're rare. Rabies is not
terribly common here. I get phone calls like this
all the time: "I just saw a raccoon outside during
DAYLIGHT! It must have rabies!" This isn't true -
raccoons are often active during daylight hours,
especially females with young. Most cases of
rabies transmission to humans in North America are
actually caused by bats, but even this is a rare
thing.
What health risks do
animals pose?
I'm not a true expert regarding zoonotic diseases,
but wildlife often carry several diseases that
humans can contract, either through direct contact
or contact of droppings, such as rabies,
histoplasmosis, roundworm, Rat Bite Fever, Murine
Typhus, Salmonellosis (bacterial food poisoning),
Leptospirosis (Weils Disease), Trichinosis,
Rickettsial Disease, Melioidosid, Pasteurellosis,
and Brucellosis, possibly among others. Of course,
venomous snakes can also pose a risk. Overall, I
think risk of these diseases is rare, but I've
heard of colleagues who have gotten seriously ill,
and I always take precautions. Please see my
wildlife diseases page for more info.
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