National Wildlife Management Professional Association Launches ‘Hire a Pro’ Public Education Campaign

WEST BOYLSTON, Mass. — “Hire a Pro” is the expert advice from the National Wildlife Management Professional Association (NWMPA), which has just been established in part to raise public awareness of the significant risks to personal property and public health posed by dangerous wildlife. The non-profit NWMPA (www.wildlifemanagementpro.org) represents the interests of the tens of thousands of wildlife management professionals (WMPs) working as small businesses nationwide, and supports the continuing development of the professional wildlife damage management industry.

The impact of wildlife damage is enormous, but the public not only is largely unaware of this threat but also that an entire profession exists to respond to such problems. The economic damage in the U.S. from all forms of wildlife damage is conservatively estimated to be about $22 billion – and that does not include illness and death resulting from interaction with dangerous wildlife.

“It’s vitally important that people recognize the that potentially dangerous animals like bats, raccoons, geese, mice, squirrels, beaver, skunks and other wildlife pose a serious threat to personal property and public health,” said Tom Reilly, NWMPA president. “For example, bats are vectors of the rabies virus, which is deadly to humans, and feces from raccoons carry thousands of roundworm eggs that can be a serious health hazard. The ‘Hire a Pro’ campaign reminds the public that only trained, licensed and insured professionals have the skills, tools and experience needed to resolve wildlife damage problems.”

Reilly said that people should have a qualified wildlife management professional come to their homes to conduct a full assessment of their property for signs of infestation. If evidence of wildlife activity or damage is found or suspected, WMPs will take steps to eliminate the problem, and educate homeowners about how they can protect themselves safely from wildlife damage now and in the future.

“Most people know who to call when they see ants, cockroaches and termites crawling around, but many of these pest control professionals are not trained in wildlife damage management,” said Reilly. “The same is true of animal control officers, fire, police and others engaged in public safety professions. Wildlife control is best left to NWMPA professionals. For their own safety, homeowners should not try to confront unwanted wildlife or attempt off-label use of household products, which is dangerous and usually illegal.”

In addition to educating homeowners and the general public, the NWMPA is contacting specialized groups who interact with the public in wildlife damage situations to make sure these groups know that there are qualified wildlife management professionals at the local level who are specifically trained and equipped to respond to such incidents. The groups include:

• Insurance companies and independent agents, to help reduce claims by policyholders.
• Hospitals, clinics and other health care providers.
• Municipal DPU/DPW departments who provide trash collection services and respond to localized flooding, whether caused by beavers or severe weather conditions. Flooding as well as residential and commercial refuse containers attract potentially dangerous wildlife.
• Other public agencies (e.g., animal control officers) who field calls about wildlife damage incidents because the public doesn’t know who else to call.