Public Health Madison & Dane County

How to Handle Animal Issues

A bat is on the ground

Our Animal Service Officers can respond to calls about animal bites, stray animals, and animal welfare concerns, but other animal issues you may have to handle yourself. Here's how:

Bats

If a bat made physical contact with a person or was found indoors where people and pets may reside, capture or confine the bat and call 608-255-2345 for pick up and testing. In addition to obvious physical contact, an unattended child or an incapacitated or sleeping person in a room with a bat should also be assumed to have had physical contact with the bat. See instructions below.

If the bat is found after normal business hours (between 6:30 pm and 8 am), capture or confine it and call 608-255-2345 after 8 am the following day. See instructions below.

If the bat is outdoors in a public area where it could have contact with humans or pets, leave the bat alone or safely move it to a bush or tree. If the bat is in the same area the following day after 8 am, call dispatch at 608-255-2345 and ask for Animal Services.

If there is no chance the bat had contact with people or pets, safely capture and release the bat outdoors or contact a pest control company that handles bat removal. If you have additional concerns, contact Animal Services during normal business hours to discuss. Contact can be made either through dispatch 608-255-2345, by calling and leaving a message at 608-267-1989, or emailing PHAnimalServices@publichealthmdc.com.

How To Capture or Confine a Bat

  • Wait for the bat to land if it is flying
  • Place a small box or container over the bat
  • Slide something thin like a magazine or piece of cardboard between the wall and the container so that the bat is trapped. Secure whatever you used with tape to the top of the container or replace with a lid so the bat cannot escape.
  • If the bat is on the ground, place a box or container over the bat as noted above. The bat can remain contained on the ground until Animal Services is able to pick it up during business hours. You may want to put something heavy on top of the container so the bat cannot wiggle out from underneath it.
  • Make sure the container you use to hold the bat has small air holes so the animal does not suffocate.

If these instructions have not helped you collect the bat, please call dispatch at 608-255-2345 and ask for further assistance.

Ducklings

Every spring, there are situations where ducklings find their way into problematic situations like falling into sewers or becoming stranded on roofs after they hatch. Below are some ways you can help reunite ducklings with their mothers.

  • Before catching any ducklings, make sure you have a secure container to put them in. Ducklings are able to jump, so make sure the container has tall sides or is enclosed. If you immediately let one duckling go with their mother, she will likely leave the scene with only part of her brood and be long gone before you can rescue the last of the group.
  • Using a fishing or butterfly net to gently collect the ducklings is ideal, but they can also be caught by hand. Contrary to popular belief, mom will not reject the babies if you touch them. The babies see you as a predator – please do not play with or excessively handle them, and wear gloves if you can.
  • If the ducklings are hiding in bushes or in a sewer, playing a recording of ducklings peeping or a mother duck calling for them will often help draw them out to a place they can be caught.
  • If the mother duck flies away or is gone when you find the ducklings, contain them and keep them close to the area. Usually, the ducklings’ peeps will draw mom back and you can reunite them. If the ducklings were found on a roof, walk them to the ground level and wait to see if mom will hear them and return.
  • Once mom returns, release the ducklings from the container and let her walk away with them. While tempting to try and transport the ducklings to a body of water, the mother duck needs to take them to a specific place or risk being attacked by other ducks from outside her territory.
  • Please do not offer any food or water to the babies - doing so can have deadly consequences.

If you cannot reunite the ducklings with their mother, call the Dane County Humane Society Wildlife Center at 608-287-3235.

Visit the Dane County Humane Society page for information about reuniting baby animals with their mothers.

Raccoons

Public Health Madison & Dane County Animal Services is not licensed to remove wildlife. We cannot have raccoons in our vehicles due to potential disease transmission to the dogs and cats we transport.

Animal Services should be notified via 608-255-2345 if:

  • The raccoon has bitten a person or domestic animal.
  • The raccoon poses a legitimate risk to human health or safety.

Seeing raccoons out during the daytime or in a populated area is not a cause for concern. Healthy wildlife should be left alone or encouraged to move along by using the following techniques:

  • Remove potential food sources such as open garbage cans, bird feeders and pet food bowls.
  • Keep buildings raccoon-proof by securing access to holes and broken windows. Keep chimneys closed with appropriate materials (hardware cloth, commercial cap, etc.).
  • Repel raccoons by making noise, using bright lights, or placing strong-smelling material in the area the raccoon is in.
  • Trim trees so they don’t overhang your roof, prune overgrown bushes, and remove or elevate woodpiles.
  • Contact a pest control company to have the animal removed.
  • Please do not offer any food or water to the babies. Doing so can have deadly consequences.
  • The babies see you as a predator. Please do not play with or excessively handle them.
  • A mother will not abandon her babies because you touched them. While it is advisable to handle them as little as possible, and to wear gloves while doing so, you can rest assured that mom will return to retrieve her little ones if she is able.
  • If the baby is still not reunited with its mother in 24 hours or seems injured, there are a limited number of wildlife rehabbers that may be able to assist. Contact Wisconsin WildCare to see if they are able to help: 608-237-7060.

Sick Raccoons 

When a raccoon is seen walking in circles, being lethargic, or letting people get unusually close to it, people often assume the animal has rabies. In Wisconsin, it is most likely not rabies, but a disease called distemper that causes the symptoms above. Distemper is often fatal to raccoons and there are no wildlife rehabbers that will accept a raccoon in this condition. Unfortunately, if a raccoon is showing obvious signs of illness they usually need to be put down on site by Police or Deputies or removed and euthanized by a pest control professional.

If you have tried the techniques listed above and the raccoon is unable or unwilling to leave a populated area, please call dispatch and ask for law enforcement to respond.

Orphaned Raccoons

A young animal's best chance for survival is always with their mother. Visit the Dane County Humane Society page for information about reuniting baby animals with their mothers.

Wildlife

Public Health Madison & Dane County Humane Officers can no longer respond to calls for service involving wildlife due an ever-growing demand in all Animal Service areas and budget/staffing limitations. Responding to wildlife calls is not a mandated service, but Animal Services will still respond to calls for service involving:

  • Bats in homes or other potential exposures to bats by people or domestic animals: See our animal bites page for details.
  • Wild animal bites to people or domestic animals
  • Wildlife that pose a legitimate risk to human health or safety

This change allows us to prioritize and focus our efforts on the services that we are mandated to perform as per WI Statute 173. For other calls involving wildlife, please see below for further resources and guidance.

Other Agencies That May Assist with Wildlife

Sick, Injured, or Orphaned Wildlife

Wildlife Issues in Parks

  • Parks (Madison): 608-266-4711
  • Parks (Dane County): 608-224-3730 or email

Deceased Wildlife on City of Madison Property

  • City Engineering: 608-266-4430
    • Check the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website to learn what you can do to deal with nuisance wildlife.
    • If you’re dealing with a coyote, watch our video How to Haze a Coyote to learn how to safely coexist with coyotes. It tells you how to haze, or scare away, coyotes so they do not feel comfortable being around humans.

Common Wildlife Issues

Orphaned Wild Animals

  • A young animal's best chance for survival is always with their mother. Visit the Dane County Humane Society for information about reuniting baby animals with their mothers.
  • Please do not offer any food or water to baby animals. Doing so can have deadly consequences. The babies see you as a predator, so please do not play with or excessively handle them.
  • A mother will not abandon her babies because you touched them. You should still handle them as little as possible, and to wear gloves while doing so. The mother will return to retrieve her babies if she is able.

Healthy wild animals on your property

Please call a private pest control service. Pest control companies are licensed to remove or relocate healthy wildlife and can help you determine how to keep the problem from reoccurring.

Lost & Found Pets

Most stray animals live close to where they are found and have owners looking for them. Ideally, these pets can be returned home without having to take a stressful trip to the humane society. If you have lost or found a pet, please try the suggestions below.

If You Have Lost a Pet

  • If you have not already done so, look around your house, yard and neighborhood to see if you can spot your pet. Call their name, shake a bag of their favorite treats and double check their favorite hiding spots.
  • Put something with a familiar smell (like a toy or blanket), or smelly food or treats in your yard to draw your pet back to the area.
  • Make a flyer with a picture of your pet to post in your neighborhood and at local businesses. You can find free poster templates online through PawBoost, Lost Dogs of Wisconsin, and 24PetWatch.
  • Let your neighbors, mail carriers and local bus drivers know your pet is missing and ask them to be on the lookout.
  • If your pet has a microchip, report them as lost through the microchip company.
  • If you see your pet, do not run towards it. Remember, they are scared and stressed. Move slowly, using a soft and calm voice.
  • Make a lost report with the following places and check to see if anyone has made a report about finding your pet:

Once your pet is back at home, make sure that they have a current ID tag, microchip and license. This will ensure that if they are lost again, they can be reunited with you as quickly as possible!

If You Have Found a Pet

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