October 8, 2009
Choosing a Wildlife Control Company
Seven tips for selecting a humane wildlife control company
John Griffin/The HSUS
With the right information and supplies, it’s often pretty easy to head off or solve conflicts with your wild neighbors by yourself.
But when it’s time to call in a professional, we recommend the following guidelines when seeking and contracting for services.
1. Ensure that the company will provide an on-site inspection and a firm written estimate. Any fee for the on-site inspection should apply toward the work that is contracted. During the on-site visit, ask that the company identify:
- The animal(s) using the structure.
- All of the entry points as well as potential entry point.
- Whether or not there are offspring.
- How the answers to these were determined
Most companies will, and all should, provide pictures if it is not clear how the animal is getting in.
2. Request specific details about how the problem will be resolved and how the animal(s) treated. Will the animal be killed, and if so why? Are there offspring that will be orphaned or abandoned? Will the method used resolve the problem for the long-term?
3. If an animal is inside a building, insist on the use of guaranteed exclusion strategies that include one-way doors and/or hands-on removal and reunion of families that will ultimately lead to their release on-site.
4. Make sure that the company provides a full range of animal-proofing/exclusion services that carry at least a one-year guarantee against re-entry. The job is not complete until the identified access points have been effectively blocked with exclusion material that will stand up to challenge by wildlife.
5. Never sign a contract that contains an open-ended clause allowing a company to charge for removal of any and every animal that can be trapped on the property. This is an unethical practice and will not solve conflicts for the long-term.
6. Obtain a referral for the company from a local wildlife rehabilitator, humane society, or animal control agency. Ask these references how they have determined that the company uses humane practices.
7. You can also request written assurance that the company’s practices are in compliance with federal, state or provincial, and local laws and regulations and that the company carries commercial liability insurance. And you can always ask for references from previous customers.
» Purchase a copy of Wild Neighbors; the go-to guide for useful, humane solutions to conflicts with wildlife.
» If you are located within the D.C. Metro Area, take advantage of our wildlife conflict resolution service. Learn More