Wildlife Removal in Clarksville, TN

Wildlife work follows different rules from bug work. Insects and mice fall under the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's pest control charter. Squirrels, bats and other wild animals fall under the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. TWRA says plainly that it cannot help landowners capture nuisance wildlife because of the number of calls it gets, though its officers will give technical advice. So the job falls to you or to a permitted operator.

The permit to ask about

TWRA Rule 1660-01-21-.01 says any person or company that controls nuisance wildlife and charges a fee must first get an Animal Damage Control Permit from TWRA. The rule also says:

• The permit lists every person allowed to work under it.
• Permit holders may work only with the written permission of the property owner, and only on that property.
• Permit holders must carry adequate liability insurance.
• Traps left unattended must be marked with the holder's name and address, along with the permit number.
• Permits are renewed every July 1.
• The permit does not allow control of state or federally endangered species.

TWRA keeps an online list of active permit holders through its "Find a Wildlife Damage Control Operator" page. TWRA does not regulate these businesses or set their prices, and it recommends getting estimates from several permit holders. TWRA sends complaints to the Better Business Bureau or the Consumer Affairs Division of the Tennessee Department of Commerce.

Ask any company for its TWRA permit before it sets a trap. For Oak Grove and other Kentucky addresses, Kentucky has its own wildlife rules, so ask which Kentucky permit the company holds.

Can you do it yourself

Sometimes. TWRA says a landowner or tenant can legally capture some species of nuisance wildlife without a permit if the animal is causing damage, though some animals are protected by law. Once you catch it, TWRA says you must release or euthanize it on your own property. You cannot drive it to a park. Tennessee law makes it illegal to transport live wildlife (TCA 70-4-401) or release it (TCA 70-4-412) without a permit, because of disease. For most people, that rule is what makes hiring a permit holder worth it.

Squirrels and raccoons in the attic

Scratching and thumping overhead at dawn and dusk usually means squirrels. Heavier noise at night is more often a raccoon. Either way, the goal is to get the animals out and then seal the hole, in that order. TWRA's advice:

• Be careful in spring, when young animals may be in the nest.
• Before closing any entry point, make sure every animal has left.
• For a raccoon denning under a porch or deck, first find out whether it has young. If it does, TWRA says to wait until they can leave with their mother before excluding.
• Close off all but one opening, wait until the animals are gone, then seal the last one.

TWRA's raccoon page says most urban raccoon problems start with food someone is leaving out. Feed pets indoors and tie down trash can lids. A good wildlife visit includes a roofline inspection and exclusion or trapping, then sealing every gap with durable material. Ask whether the price includes repairs and a return visit.

Mice and rats are a pest control job, not a wildlife one. See rodent control for those.

Bats

TWRA says the big brown bat is the bat most likely to live in buildings, and that it is found statewide. Females form summer nursery colonies in attics and chimneys, and in hollow trees. Twins are usually born in early June, and the young begin to fly at 3 to 4 weeks old.

That timing matters. A one-way exclusion done while young bats cannot fly traps them inside, where they die and smell. TWRA requires a permitted operator to get its approval before any bat exclusion work, reporting the species, how many bats there are and whether young are present. Ask the company when it plans to do the work and whether it has that approval.

Two Tennessee bats are federally endangered: the gray bat and the Indiana bat. TWRA says gray bats use caves year-round, and Indiana bats raise their young under the bark of dead trees, so neither is the usual attic bat. Even so, the TWRA permit does not cover endangered species, and the rule requires operators to hold any federal permits the job needs. TWRA lists the little brown bat as unprotected. It also calls it a species of great concern because of white-nose syndrome, which has reached Tennessee. The fix for bats in a house is exclusion at the right time of year.

A bat in the bedroom

The CDC says that if people wake up with a bat in the room, they should assume they may have been exposed to rabies and see a health care provider right away about whether they need post-exposure treatment. Bat bites can be tiny, and you may not know you were bitten. The CDC also says bats are responsible for roughly 7 in 10 rabies deaths among people in the United States.

The national vaccine guidelines treat these as possible exposures: a deeply sleeping person who wakes to find a bat in the room, or a bat found in a room with a previously unattended child. The same guidance says treatment is not needed if the bat is tested and is negative. That is why catching the bat matters.

1. Do not let it go. The CDC says not to release it until you have talked with public health.
2. Put on leather work gloves. When the bat lands, cover it with a box or jar and slide a piece of cardboard underneath. Tape it shut. Punch small air holes in the cardboard first.
3. Call your county health department to arrange testing. The Tennessee Department of Health says rabies testing can often be done within 24 hours.
4. Call your doctor about whether to start shots now or wait for the result.

If you cannot catch it safely, the CDC says to ask your health department for advice.

Snakes

TWRA says Tennessee has four venomous snakes. The one you are most likely to meet around Clarksville is the copperhead, which occurs across the state and lives in suburban yards as well as rocky, wooded hillsides. TWRA describes it as 24 to 36 inches long with a coppery head and dark brown hourglass-shaped crossbands that are wide on the sides and narrow on the back. Young copperheads have bright yellow tail tips. TWRA says copperhead venom is weak and deaths from bites are extremely rare. A bite still needs medical care. Call 911 or go to the emergency room.

Most snakes people see near houses are harmless. TWRA calls the gray ratsnake, or "chicken snake," one of the most abundant snakes in the state. It is large and usually black with white flecks between the scales, and it shelters in woodpiles and barns or around old houses. It eats rodents and is often killed by people afraid of snakes. A clear photo will tell you which one you have.

To make a yard less inviting, remove the cover snakes use: brush and woodpiles near the house, along with the rodents they hunt. A snake inside the house is a reason to call for removal.

Skunks and opossums

TWRA notes that raccoons and opossums thrive in towns, and so do skunks and foxes. They usually move under decks and sheds, or into crawl spaces, looking for shelter and food. The same steps apply: remove food sources, check for young, let the animals leave, and then close the opening. The Tennessee Department of Health says most rabies cases in the country occur in wild animals like raccoons and skunks, along with bats and foxes. If one bites a person or fights with a pet, call the health department and your doctor or veterinarian. TDH notes that rabies is not spread by skunk spray or bat droppings.

Getting help

For insects and rodents, we only refer companies chartered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (and licensed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture for Kentucky addresses). For wildlife, also ask for the company's TWRA Animal Damage Control permit, and see how to check a Tennessee charter. Renters should read who handles pests in a Tennessee rental before paying. Ask for an inspection and a written price that includes sealing before any work starts.