Best practices
for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

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Ch 5: Step three: Do it - Nonlethal techniques

Direct capture

Sometimes, you may be able to capture the animal immediately, using your hands or a simple device, such as a catchpole. If you can do so safely, this is often appealing to the customer. It may also eliminate the need for repeated visits to the site. Remember all of the safety tips from chapter four. The right gloves are especially important if you're going to try to catch an animal by hand.

Other useful devices include: catchpole combo | buckets | nets | drugs

Catchpole, or "snare pole" (similar to snake tongs, cat grasper). This is one of the most versatile tools used to capture and restrain animals. Basically, a catchpole is a long stick with a noose (cabled loop) on one end. For most species, place the loop over the animal's head and then tighten the cable to hold the animal. Bobcats and housecats can accidentally suffocate if the loop is only placed around their necks—it's better to place the loop over the cat's head and over one front leg. Minimize the amount of time an animal spends in this restraint.

Some catchpoles swivel, allowing the animal to twist without being suffocated. Commercial catchpoles often lock once you've pulled the cable tight, and also have a quick-release. (If you prefer to make your own, run a loop of plastic-coated cable through a piece of rigid aluminum pipe or conduit that's 3–4 feet long. You may still want to add a quick-release mechanism.)

Related hand-operated devices may substitute a vice-grip closure for the noose on the end of the catchpole. Imagine the kind of pincer that some people use to grab cans off a high cabinet. This can be useful if you're trying to capture a small animal, such as a squirrel, or if you can only reach a part of the animal and would not be able to get a loop around it. Poles with this vise-grip closure usually don't have the restraining power of catchpoles.

Modified catchpoles are available for restraining snakes. They're often called snake "sticks," "tongs," or "hooks." These devices pin the snake's head to the ground. Use them carefully, because it's hard to tell how much pressure you're exerting so you could accidentally injure the snake's spine or even dislocate its head. Once the snake's head is restrained, grasp the snake just behind its jaws with your thumb and forefingers. This will give you control of its head. Support the snake's body (with your arm, a stick, or a pole) when you carry it. This will minimize its stress and prevent it from thrashing about.

What if you're confronted with a large nonvenomous snake, such as a boa constrictor, that's tightly wrapped around a person? If you can't work it loose with your hands, remember that snakes don't like cold temperatures. So have the person step into a cool shower. The snake will probably let go once the water hits it, and try to slither away.

Obviously, inexperienced people should not handle venomous snakes! NWCOs with the proper snake-handling training should still take a few precautions when working with venomous snakes.

Don't work alone. If you must, at least tell someone what you're doing. Call the local hospital before you go out on the job, to see if they have the proper antivenin—and have them check that it's still good (they probably don't use it often, so it could be outdated). Bring along a garbage can with a lid, or a cage that you can put the snake in once you've captured it. One final tip: of the three species of venomous snakes native to New York, two are legally protected (timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga) and may not be handled without special state permits.

A "catchpole combo." Many NWCOs are talented tinkerers. In this case, one person combined simple tools for a unique direct capture technique used to remove a raccoon from a fireplace chimney in one visit. This method requires a catchpole, a chimney brush attached to flexible fiberglass chimney rods, a ladder, and gloves.

Make sure the damper is securely closed. Climb onto the roof. Run the chimney brush (attached to flexible fiberglass chimney rods) down the chimney. When the brush enters the smoke chamber and drops to the damper, it opens up an escape route for the raccoon. As the coon climbs up into the flue, pull the brush up behind it to encourage the coon to move up the chimney. (The faster the brush is pulled up, the less likely the animal will try to force its way down past the brush.)

When the raccoon is four or five feet from the top of the chimney, use the catchpole to capture it and transfer it to a holding cage (usually a cage trap). Then, if there are young in the chimney, go inside the house. Open the damper and remove them with your gloved hands.

Buckets or small plastic containers. This works well with bats and small snakes. Cover the animal with the container, and then slip a piece of stiff cardboard between the container and the wall or floor. You can then carry the animal outside and release it (remember: don't release bats if there was a possible rabies exposure).

Nets. Two designs are the throw net and "hoop" net. Throw nets are tossed over the target animal. Hoop nets are attached to the end of a long handle. They're used to scoop up the animal. The net should be deep enough to allow the hoop to be twisted to restrain the animal in the bottom of the net. A captured animal may climb out of a shallow net. The size of the mesh is important, too. If the mesh is too large, the animal may force its head through and injure itself or strangle. If you must use a shallow net, immediately place the frame against a flat surface to prevent escape. You can further restrict the animal's movement by carefully pressing on it with a stick. Whenever possible, encourage the animal to enter the net on its own. You might injure an animal while swinging a hoop net, if you accidentally hit it with the frame.

Very few NWCOs have access to drugs (such as ketamine hydrochloride, tiletamine, alphachloralose, and metatomadine) that can be used to capture an animal directly. These "immobilizing agents" are heavily regulated by federal and state agencies. NWCOs with the proper training work under the supervision of veterinarians, who have the necessary permits from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. In New York, permits are also required to use syringes and needles. Staff from USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services may provide technical assistance for bird capture programs involving alphachloralose.

Although these drugs are not available to most NWCOs, they may increase the operator's safety while reducing the animal's stress. But things can go wrong, even for highly trained and experienced people, because when you're working in the field, you have less control of the situation.

For more information about alphachloralose, contact:
Rich Chipman, State Director
USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services 1930 Route 9, Castleton NY 12033-9653
Phone: (518) 477-4837 • Fax: (518) 477-4899
Email: Richard.B.Chipman@aphis.usda.gov

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