It made me think about what we alert authorities here for and why, because for most things we just co-exist.
I have taken an injured possum to a university rescue program (sadly she could not be saved but her babies aboard were, but the tolocs are just fine anywhere they like; they were here before us. (The rare occasions they come indoors they seem horrified to see us there too so fairly sprint out.)
I can think of two species here for which services are called:
for boas, in-town the police are called, because the boas typically climb poles which is dangerous to the snake and can cause outages. Preservation of electricity is important here due to the heat.
if a swarm of bees in a central neighborhood begins to become aggressive to passersby, such as because a branch on which their nest was situated fell due to wind, etc. the fire department typically is called and the bees are relocated.
Because life here is very tranquil, these are considered newsworthy events, and so it is possible they seem overreactive to those in places where the police and fire departments are busier.
Where you live, what species, if any, would warrant alerting?
I’m guessing coyotes because they are a potential threat to pets, but for the most part people around here (woods and farms of South Central Indiana) will post on Facebook to let people know to keep an eye on cats, dogs, and kids. Most people around here than I know (definitely not a representative sampe!) are either excited to see wildlife or (unfortunately) probably shoot them.
I think it was a year ago that one of the high schools in eastern Massachusetts was closed for a day because someone had seen a black bear near the school. (Not a bear with cubs, not a bear sitting in front of the school’s front door, not a bear in the school, mind you.) Meanwhile, I looked out my living room window that same day in western Massachusetts to see a bear walk up my driveway. I live next to the high school in my town. It didn’t even occur to me, nor to anyone else, to alert the school, much less close it for the day.
Maybe a decade ago, a cop in my town called the president of the local bird and nature club to say, “David, I have one of your turtles. What do you want me to do with it?” It was a Wood Turtle which was crossing a bridge in the center of town. Wood Turtles are rare and state-listed here. Dave relocated the turtle appropriately (same river, a short distance downstream of the dam in the center of town, if I remember correctly) and (I assume) sent in a report to the state rare species program. It’s nice to know even the police in my town care about these things.
A few years back, someone reported a mountain lion on the ball field at my kids’ school. I happened to be there to meet with a teacher. I introduced myself to the police officers that came to the school and walked around with them. I pointed out the fresh bobcat scat and tracks at the edge of the field, and that the witness’s description was more consistent with a bobcat than a mountain lion. The school didn’t let the kids outside the rest of the day, but at least they didn’t close the school.
South Australia.
You need to report fruit flies.
If there is a snake in or around the house, you can call a snake catcher. They are private business, service is payable.
The rules are that native animals are protected and never call police/ambulance/fire fighters unless someone is seriously injured.
Mountain lions and black bears in suburban neighborhoods typically call for alerting the state Game & Fish in my state (NM), assuming they are in a situation where they can be darted and removed and pose a possible danger to residents. I’ve had both species wander into my high-density suburban neighborhood at different times but unfortunately wasn’t in the vicinity when they were detected/captured (I was at my office … at Game & Fish!)
Here in NC the Department of Agriculture is asking for reports of Giant Hogweed for pest control and I’ve actually sent them links to local observations on iNat purporting to be that species. As far as I could tell, they were Heracleum maximum misidentified but they still appreciated the reports so they could send someone to check it out.
(Edited to add: “It was introduced by a homeowner for soil erosion, and shared with neighbors.” )
There is a hotline for Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni) and Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) finds. If it is confirmed they’l put traps around and release largenumber of sterilised males.
Big outbreaks can make fruit and fruit juice quite expensive.
When a wolf is seen it often makes the front page with the omnipresent hunters and shepherds who state that wolves must be controlled.
Then, presumed Asian hornets, various jellyfishes, snakes, stray dogs etc. may help journalists to fill the pages.
The only time I can remember that someone (me) called the police on an animal, it was a stray dog with rabies. I’ve never heard of anyone doing it, but there’s a lot of cows and horses where I live an occasionally they escape, so I could see someone calling an authority to get it out of their yard or road. There was also once a wild pig on the loose in my neighborhood that wrecked two cars and killed four cats, but someone shot it before the police would’ve had a chance to show, so I’m not sure if anyone reported it to authorities or not.
sightings of a brown marmorated stinkbug should be reported to the ministry for primary industries, as it is an agricultural pest which has not yet established itself in NZ. Probably some other insects for the same reason.
seals can be reported to the department of conservation because they want to know where they are, and maui’s or hector’s dolphins should most certainly be reported. there were only 64 adult maui’s dolphins left last time I checked so they’re quite important to keep an eye on!
I have called animal control twice in the last decade.
The first was a raccoon that was obviously ill. They said they would not do anything unless humans had been or were about to be harmed and that I would have to contain it until they came. Thanks for nothing. The raccoon was determined to be probable distemper case via phone discussions with local veterinarians. It was dispatched humanely as possible and buried.
The second time animal control did respond. That was a beautiful Pit Bull male with harness that was covered in porcupine quills from face to tail. Horribly painful. The officer was able to take the dog away.
There’s not much in the way of help out here. Too rural.
Rattlesnakes, coral snakes, cottonmouth snakes, anything with venom
Now you can add large monitor lizards (aggressive, another pet trade escapee)
And a whole host of other invasive species raised for the pet trade and either released or escaped. everything from snakes to fish to plants that are highly invasive and compete with the native wildlife.
Where I live at present, coyotes are common and expected. But panther/puma/mountain lions are definitely NOT common and would trigger a call.
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