Do Animal Services or the City Help with Opossum Issues?

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While dealing with an opossum problem on your property, your best bet is to seek for professional help so you can be sure that the problem is solved competently. A lot of people naturally think of their local animal department or the county animal services office first. The services there are likely to be free anyway.



So, is county animal services the right place to get help with your marsupial guest? Will they help you?

This is not usually the case. In actual fact, there is no government agency that specializes in opossum removal or control, or control of any other wildlife for that matter.

While animal control departments exist in most cities and counties, the personnel there are only equipped to deal with domestic animals and pests. Dog bites, dangerous pets and pet abuse complaints are more common down their lane than opossum disturbances.

Some departments did offer select wildlife services at a time, but what they provided can hardly be described as professional. It was more like lending a hand to such homeowners. They wouldn’t inspect your attic for instance, neither will they deliberately check for helpless babies hidden away. City and county animal services may offer you help that entails a borrowed trap to set for the animal and their assistance in removing a trapped opossum from your premises. Wildlife control is more complex than what those agencies would do for you, and it sure is a good thing that it has now been delegated to the private sector.

A trained wildlife expert, on the other hand, will go all out to inspect your structures, set traps at highly probable points, and seal entry points to prevent reoccurrence. A wildlife expert would identify vulnerable areas in your structures and assist in cleaning up animal waste.

A private or independent animal expert would handle the entire process for you and even recommend repairs and precautions to ensure that the nuisance animals do not return. A county official is likely to stop after the sighted opossum has been removed.

Besides, there are several different approaches to remove an opossum. An independent practitioner would evaluate the extent of the infestation and damage; and customize an effective trapping and removal plan for your peculiar situation.

Opossums are an intelligent breed and they may defend themselves if threatened, they are best handled by trained individuals.

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