The calls come several times a day. Angry and gruff and terse.
“I have raccoons in my attic and need you to come and get them.”
“A fox got my chickens. Come get it or I’ll kill it.”
“I heard a coyote. Either you come remove it or I’ll put a bullet in it.”
We’re busy saving animals’ lives, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and we simply don’t have time to return to all these calls— particularly since they often involve verbal abuse and threats from the callers.
Wildlife rehabilitators are rescues for orphaned and injured animals— not pest control services. We can’t and don’t have the resources to act a free wildlife removal company, whether you threaten or yell at us or not. It is simply not part of our work.
Wild animals almost never survive being “removed.” In Tennessee, many species must be either released on the site where they were found or simply killed. Those that are taken elsewhere die slow, painful deaths by starvation and exposure when stolen from their familiar homes and hunting grounds without their families.
The only humane, effective way to remove unwanted wild animals from your property is to repel and exclude them. Bright lights, loud sounds, and strong smells will convince even the most stubborn animals to find alternative dens, and to take their young with them. Professionals can then help you close any entrance points where the critters managed to get in, so no other wildlife takes advantage of the free real estate.
Please don’t demand that wildlife rehabilitators take animals off your property. We’re here to help animals and to help you peacefully coexist with them, not to take them away from their homes because you find them inconvenient.
For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue 