Are nuisance wildlife dangerous to humans?

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Most of us encounter wild animals virtually every day without thinking very much about it. We come across birds, squirrels, and maybe even a raccoon on a regular basis. Because of this, we become accustomed to them and don't see any kind of risk in coming around them.



Most of these kind of animals are considered nuisance animals. They are not predators, like coyotes or foxes, so we generally don't concern ourselves with the dangers of being around a squirrel or a raccoon. These are cute little critters that may create a hassle by digging into your garbage or tearing apart your garden, but you don't generally see them as any kind of risk to yourself.

There are risks, however. There are things that you should be concerned about, and if you are asking yourself if any nuisance wildlife animals are dangerous to humans, your answer needs to start being yes.

First consider the fact that any wild animal is dangerous. These are animals who rely completely on their instincts, and that can mean that they will scratch, claw, or bite you if they feel threatened in any way. Should you come upon a raccoon who is digging in your garbage, you can quickly find this critter lunging out at you and attacking you without much provocation. This can pose a serious health risk to you.

However, it's important to look beyond the physical confrontation with one of these animals. Nuisance wildlife poses a serious danger to you, your family, and your pets simply because of the diseases that these animals carry.

All wildlife carries some form of disease, either in the form of bacteria, virus, or parasite. In fact, you should count on the fact that each animal carries several diseases at the same time. Should they bite or claw you, those infectious materials can get into your body and cause you serious illness. In the case of the raccoon, for example, about 20% of these animals carry the rabies virus. That means if you are bitten by one there's a very good chance that you could contract the rabies. This is a fatal illness if not treated right away, and is a reason why you need to consider that this wildlife animal is extremely dangerous.

The problem does not end there. Many of these animals will release these pathogens in their urine and feces which pose a serious health risk to you and your family as well. Should you step in the feces, it is not uncommon for parasites to burrow their way into your skin and start the lifecycle inside your intestine or heart. This can cause serious illness and even death in some instances.

Some animal's feces can even become airborne once it dries, meaning that the pathogens go along with the dried fecal matter. This poses a serious health risk to you as well, as all it takes is for that matter to get on your skin your respiratory tract and you can be suffering from a very serious illness.

For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How To Guide: Who should I hire? - What questions to ask, to look for, who NOT to hire.
How To Guide: do it yourself! - Advice on saving money by doing wildlife removal yourself.
Guide: How much does wildlife removal cost? - Analysis of wildlife control prices.
Animals in the attic - read about the common species.
Noises in the attic - how to identify critters by their sounds.