Best practices for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

Home | Wildlife control | NYS DEC | CCE | NYS IPM

Ch 4: Section two: Risks that come with your job

Wildlife diseases

Ladder safety | Bites and Stings | Heat related illness | Tetanus | Electrocution and more

"Zoonotic diseases" or "zoonoses" are illnesses that people can catch from animals or from contact with their habitats. There are about 200 zoonotic diseases. (Details for the zoonoses most relevant in the Northeast will be discussed later.)

As previously mentioned, risks associated with ladders are far more significant for NWCOs, but some wildlife diseases can also be fatal to people. Even if you're comfortable with your personal risk, you owe it to your customers to be cautious. You have no way of knowing how healthy they are; some may have compromised immune systems because they suffer from cancer, diabetes, AIDS, or other illnesses. A disease you could shrug off might be no laughing matter for them.

Diseases can also spread to other wildlife species and devastate their populations, a major worry if the affected species is endangered or a prized game species.

As a professional, behave in ways that minimize the risk of exposing others to disease and also help prevent the spread of the disease to other areas, or other species. This concern influences your animal handling and disposal procedures, your choice of gear, customer education, and clean-up strategies for the site and your equipment.

Rabies is a prime example of the important role NWCOs play in protecting public health. Rabies is so widespread in wildlife in New York and the Northeast that the state health department recommends treating any skunk, raccoon, or bat you approach as "rabid until proven innocent." This disease is always fatal once symptoms appear. (Four people who had been given some vaccination—but not in the recommended way—did develop the disease and still survived, although they suffered severely). Yet there are only about one or two human deaths caused by rabies each year in the U.S., according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). One reason for this remarkably low number is the vigilance of health department staff, NWCOs, veterinarians, and many others.

Want to read about a disease right away?

• Rabies

• Raccoon roundworm

• Histoplasmosis

• Toxoplasmosis

• Hantavirus

• Mange

• Distemper

• West Nile virus

• Lyme disease

Next Section (Bites and stings)