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Handbook Contents | Best Practices for Wildlife Operators | How to use this Guide | Learning Objectives| New York DEC Goals | Understanding Nuisance Wildlife | The Business Side | Resources | ICWDM | Wildlife Species Information |
Contents |
The Other Half Of the Business (Customer Relations)
"Half your business is wildlife—the other half is people," advises one professional. Your success will probably depend as much on the way you talk to customers and treat other professionals as the clever ways you assess situations or modify cage traps.
As you're asking your customers questions about the job and describing the options for solving the problem, you'll probably gain a sense of your customers' values and how they want situations handled. In most cases, you'll be able to tailor your services to meet their needs, but there are two times when you can't: if doing so would violate a law, or when public health or safety is threatened. You are legally required to follow the health department's directions about what to do with captured animals (in addition to DEC rules). If the health department wants an animal killed and tested for rabies, you must do this, even if your customer requested that you use only nonlethal techniques.
That explains why you'll probably get to know some health department staff, but you're likely to interact with many other professionals on a fairly regular basis, too. Some may assist during an emergency, such as the local police and animal control officers.
Many seasoned NWCOs advise new professionals to develop networks right from the start. Win the trust and respect of your regional DEC wildlife and law enforcement staff, local police, animal control officers, health department staff, wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians, staff at local animal shelters, town clerks, and your fellow NWCOs. You're probably aware of the practical reasons to maintain friendly relations, but this is also an excellent opportunity to market your business. Often, people don't know who to contact for help with a nuisance animal so they may turn to any professional who works with animals or enforces laws. If you win the trust and respect of these professionals, they may refer customers to you.
Wildlife control is not a nine-to-five job, especially during the busy season. Some people refer jobs to other NWCOs when they're too busy to handle them. Or maybe you're suddenly confronted with a nine-foot long snake in someone's apartment, and you're not quite sure what it is. (Except big. Really big.) You may want to call a buddy who's more experienced with exotic species. Some NWCOs partner with construction professionals, too. Maybe you'd rather remove the bats and leave the repair work to someone else, so you're not tied up at one site for several hours.
These examples point to one aspect of professionalism: recognizing your level of technical expertise and making sure that you have the skills and knowledge needed to do a job well. There's a bit more to it, of course, and we'll highlight some of those issues in chapter six.
Handbook Contents
- Understanding Nuisance Wildlife
- The Business Side
Best Practices for Wildlife Control
- Assess the Situation
- Choose Management Options
- Tools and Techniques
- Preventing Problems
- Evaluating Success
Professionalism Resources for NWCOs
Disclaimer
This manual was written as a guide to train nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State. Laws and regulations may differ in your state. Always consult local and state laws before implementing wildlife damage management activities.
Contact Information
Contact your local Extension Office
Resources
Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
National Wildlife Control Operator's Association
Wildlife Control
Acknowledgments
We thank the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for contributing this information.
Produced by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the NYS Integrated Pest Management Program.
