Montclair residents, like many folks in New Jersey, have learned to share their space with creatures of the wild, enjoying a peaceful coexistence with their furry, feathered and other neighbors of the animal kingdom. There are times when a resident may find that one of their animal friends is in distress and will call the Animal Control Officer.
If you think you may have orphaned, injured or displaced wildlife in your yard, before you pick up the phone to contact Montclair Animal Control, observe the animal and gather information. The following are questions the Animal Control Officer will ask you:
- What is the exact location and address of the animal?
- What does the animal look like? What color is it? Fur, Fins or Feathers? Size? Adult or Juvenile? How many animals are there?
- How long has the animal been at the location? Days, hours, minutes?
- What is it currently doing? How is it behaving?
- Is it limping? If it’s a bird or bat can it fly?
- Is there obvious injury or illness? For example, blood, broken bones, runny eyes or nose, etc.
- Are there insects present on or around the animal? Flies, Fleas, Ticks or Maggots.
- Is the animal vocalizing or is it completely quiet? If vocalizing how so and how frequently?
- Are there any other animals in the area? Predators? Parents?
For more information, contact Animal Control Officer at 973-509-6978.
Interested in volunteering to help the wildlife in New Jersey? Contact one of the following organizations to see what you can do.
- • Woodlands Wildlife Refuge www.woodlandswildlife.org
- • Raptor Trust www.theraptortrust.org
