Wildlife

Health Home
Adult Health Services
Children's Health Services
Coronavirus - COVID19
Immmunizations
Environmental and Consumer Health
     Food Truck Requirements
Social Services
Backyard Pests
Animal Control
Dog Licensing
Wildlife

Human-wildlife interactions have increasingly become an issue as habitat loss from modern urban sprawl increases. As we encroach on the once pristine wild areas that had been home to various forms of wildlife, we find ourselves sharing our neighborhoods with them. Ewing's natural areas and neighborhoods are abundant in native wildlife such as fox, coyotes, raccoons, hawks, deer, Canadian geese, groundhogs, rabbits, opossum, snakes and even the occasional bear.   They all have a role to play and make significant ecosystem contributions.   For example:

• The opossum is a veritable tick vacuum. A single opossum might eat an astonishing 5,000 ticks in a week.
• Squirrels play a huge role in forest regeneration due to their food storage habits.
•  A single little brown bat can consume up to 3,000 mosquito sized in a single night. 
• The fox is a predator of small rodents such mice and rabbits.

 So you are encouraged to care... and share!  Help keep them wild!

Rabies

Rabies can be a serious threat and bites from animals that are not rabid can also be painful. Stray animals roaming your neighborhood can pose a real danger as they are probably unvaccinated. One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from rabies is to vaccinate your pets and avoid contact with wild animals. Do not feed or handle them even if they seem friendly.

If you see a wild animal acting strangely, report it to animal control. Small mammals are also carriers of the deer ticks that cause Lyme disease. If anyone comes across any wildlife that appears ill, do not try to handle it, but rather call Animal Control at (609) 883-2900 ext. 7175 or the Police Department after hours.

Protect yourself and the environment. Wild and exotic animals should not be kept as pets. Some of these pets, if released into the environment, can cause irreversible and costly damage to our ecosystems. People often get these animals when they are small and then have few options when the animals grow too large or dangerous to handle. They may carry diseases and parasites that can be transmitted to humans. 

The Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades provide a sobering example of the incalculable damage to our native ecoystems due to release of exotic pets.