Often
people are under the impression that they cannot do anything about wild animals, because they are protected, well the truth
is that all wildlife are protected in one form or another, but then again so are people. People are also under the impression
that their taxes should cover wildlife issue’s and try to depend on the local fire department or Animal Control Officers.
Ohio’s
general law (MGL) gives property owners the right to use lawful means to destroy wildlife in the act of causing damage or
threatening personal safety. The public may only address wildlife actually causing damage or posing immediate threats and
may not randomly destroy wildlife as a preventive measure.
As
with any job description the removal of wildlife takes professional training and specific insurance requirements and municipal
employee’s are not covered to be working on or performing services on private property, and are specifically prohibited
by law from referring private sector work to themselves or each other.
Ohio’s
General law does allow for the division of Fish & Game to allow certain individuals called "Problem animal control agents"
to lawfully trap and remove wildlife for a fee.
If you have a problem with a dog or a cat (one that doesn't involve something tricky like going
into an attic or under a crawl space), you can go ahead and call the county or city animal services.
