BEFORE YOU CALL, FOLLOW THESE STEPS!
- Identify the wildlife species involved.
- Before contacting for assistance be certain the problem is sufficiently severe and persistent so as to require action.
- Consider the alternatives in the following order:
- Remove food sources, cover materials or vegetation, overhanging tree limbs, or other means of access that initially attracted and is now holding wildlife in your location.
- Establish protective structures or barriers to prevent wildlife from entering and damaging property.
- Humanely remove wildlife from buildings and grounds. (If trapping, transporting or killing wildlife is involved, a Wildlife Depredation Permit will be needed.)
- Permanently repair buildings to prevent re-infestation.
- Monitor buildings and grounds periodically for recurring problems, taking appropriate, immediate attention to control and prevent damage.
If these measures fail to resolve the wildlife-caused damage, contact a Wildlife Damage Control Agent by county of residence. Select a county from the drop down menu below: (POP-UP REMINDER NOTE - When a county is selected, the page will open in a new window and sometimes be recognized as a pop-up page. On some devices and browsers, pop-ups must be enabled for the drop down menu to function properly. For information on how to enable pop-ups, see browser or mobile device documentation on how to enable pop-ups.)
Citizens are advised to contract for the services of a WDCA in the same way one selects a vendor for carpentry, plumbing or other repair services. For example, an explanation of the service to be provided, the expected cost involved, and references can be requested of WDCA prior to entering into a contractual agreement.
Citizens may wish to control wildlife damage themselves. Information on techniques is available from:
- Each County Extension Center
- NCWRC and USDA - WS at (919) 786-4480
NC Wildlife Law Enforcement Officers, NCWRC Wildlife Biologists, and WDCAs can issue wildlife Depredation Permits to citizens at no charge.