Animal care and control agencies are receiving and responding to community calls relating to native wildlife despite resource and manpower shortages. When the demand is greater than the supply, service providers adapt and rely on collaborations to be able to address all concerns that are coming their way. This webinar expounds on how the Animal Welfare League of Arlington leveraged the intersectionality of wildlife and animal welfare for an all-in-for-animals approach.
Leading the conversation is Jennifer Toussaint, Chief of Animal Control in Arlington County. Some of her accomplishments in her role include implementing a local ordinance about exotic animal care and ownership, expanding the animal control department’s outreach efforts to enable high owner-pet retention in her community, and winning the Outstanding Agency of the Year award from the Virginia Animal Control Association in 2020.
Specifics Jen discussed in the session include:
- The volume of calls animal welfare organizations are receiving related to wildlife conflict.
- An overview of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA), their work, and a history of wildlife management efforts taken in Arlington.
- The ways that the AWLA facilitates wildlife management through its humane-based mission, solution, education, and promotion of the concept of OneHealth.
- AWLA’s Policy statement that ensured transparency in addressing wildlife concerns, harmonious coexistence with wildlife, and principles when dealing with wildlife.
- What AWLA has accomplished since 2013 in integrating wildlife support services into animal welfare.
- The AWLA’s Wildlife Resource Center that supports wildlife rehabbers to ensure that they can fulfill their role in wildlife conversation.
- The critical steps of training staff, monitoring data, and engaging citizens when it comes to resolving wildlife conflicts.
- The steps and considerations to take into account when implementing intersectionality of wildlife and animal welfare.
- Creating humane policies to abide by.
- Training and teaching staff about wildlife, particularly baby animals that tend to be the most common reason for calls.
- Establishing call priority guidelines where instead of categorizing response based on the type of animals, it is prioritized based on the urgency of the call.
- Working alongside the local wildlife rehabilitation community by ensuring their resources are provided, establishing relationships, and creating roles to provide their needed support.
- Advocating for rabies vector species so there won’t be a need to euthanize them upon intake.
- Establishing guidelines with local health department representatives as it relates to handling wildlife, vaccinations, exposure reporting, and points of contact.
- Conducting public education and advocacy campaigns using engaging content both online and offline.
- Stakeholders to partner with to establish a larger regional network of assistance.
- The benefits of intersectionality in terms of the mission, decreasing compassion fatigue, providing appropriate solutions, outreach, fostering community trust and social media engagement and costs and donor base.
- A raccoon disease outbreak demonstrating how integrating wildlife and animal welfare can implement disease management and lifesaving measures.
Questions and comments from the webinar attendees are about:
- Resources to find local wildlife rehabilitators.
- Testing wildlife for canine distemper.
- Videos that provide a snapshot of the symptoms of specific viruses in animals.
- Educating community members on the importance of wildlife in the ecosystem.
- Enacting municipal ordinances regarding trapping.
- Vaccinating against rabies or distemper.
- Creating an animal welfare resource that addresses wildlife concerns.
- Who the good rehabbers are in your area.
View our Animal Welfare Webinar Schedule and Recordings
Resources and Handouts
Audience Comments
- “This was a fabulous webinar. I was able to learn good ways to speak with people and figure out how to help people resolve wildlife conflict without needing to meet with the person. I think it would be great to offer a general animal behavior course for species that people see commonly that requires conflict resolution. This could help ACOs to inform the public of normal behaviors for an animal while also giving conflict resolution techniques.” — Ashley
- “Excellent presentation, thanks!” — Anne
- “This webinar was amazing at all ends.” — Danielle
- “Good refresher on handling issues that benefit both animals and community members. — deni
- …Jennifer is a Rock Star and a perfect example of how Domestic animal welfare and wildlife welfare can work together!! I wish this was the norm – it’s not – but we can all work towards her example.” — Ame
- “The ideas of creating wildlife-specific action plans and tracking outbreaks through the agency, rather than being dependent upon the local health organization.” — JESSICA
- “This was very interesting, and I learned a lot. Thank you!” — Kathleen
- “Just her approach to bridging and framing the problem in such a way that the community wants to be part of the solution. Love.” — Teresa
This webinar is part of the JCH Summer School Program. From June 1-August 31, 2023, attendees will receive a certificate of attendance via email about one hour after the conclusion of a webinar.
Want to join us for other Summer School webinars? Check out our Summer School Calendar and register today!
This webinar has been certified by the National Animal Care & Control Association and is approved for 1 Continuing Education Unit. Please refer to your NACA membership portal for current CEU submission process. Current NACA Members who attend the live presentation or watch the recording will be able to download a jointly issued attendance certificate that includes the National Animal Care & Control Association logo. Visit the NACA training page for a complete list of future trainings.
