Animal/Wildlife Information

Report a stray dog - Stray dogs can be reported to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control at 561-233-1200.

Report an injured animal - If you see a dog or cat that has been possibly hit by a car, please contact Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control at 561-233-1200.

Request a dead animal pickup - Greenacres Public Works will only pick up a dead animal on the public right-of-way, sidewalk or roadway not located within an HOA. Please call Public Works at 561-642-2071. Owners are responsible to remove dead animals from private property.

Report stray cats - Stray cats can be reported to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control at 561-233-1200.

Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return) Program for stray cats. This is a FREE service to the community but you must contact Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control at 561-233-5262 and be willing to assist.

ANIMAL AND WILDLIFE INFORMATION

Human activities can attract certain wildlife species looking for an easy meal or shelter. Unfortunately, this can bring them into conflict with the interests of people, and the wildlife can be considered to be a nuisance. Nuisance animals, pests, and stray animals can cause property damage and can present a threat to public safety. If the improper interactions with humans occur, such as feeding or providing shelter, any animal can become a nuisance to the community. Below are resources to help you address these issues.

Muscovy Ducks

Muscovy ducks are not a domestic animal and should be left to forage for their food naturally. These ducks are not protected by State wildlife regulations, but they do fall within State animal cruelty laws (Sec. 828.12, Florida Statutes). The City of Greenacres Public Works Department strongly recommends that people DO NOT feed the ducks. Their natural diet is comprised of vegetation and insects—both of which are abundant in our tropical climate. Additionally, feeding by humans makes the ducks reliant on such hand-outs and too lazy to continue foraging for their natural dietary items.

Raccoons, Birds, and Squirrels

Raccoons are intelligent, talented and adaptable creatures. They have very nimble hands, are very strong, and are excellent climbers. Many raccoons have no fear of people (or dogs), and thus commonly come into conflict with humans in urban settings. The most common complaint about raccoons is their scavenging of trash cans. Residents are encouraged to keep lids on their trash cans and keep them in a secure area where access is limited.

Birds, such as crows and pigeons, are often found in public areas, such as parks, buildings, shopping centers, and other places where they can find shelter. The problems associated with these birds are noise and unsightly and unsanitary excrement. Feeding by humans can make birds reliant on hand- outs.

Squirrels can easily adapt to human interactions, frequently using buildings as nesting areas. Squirrels can cause a fire hazard in homes by bringing in nesting material, and by chewing on power lines. Squirrels can leave behind a lot of droppings on park benches, gazeboes, and playgrounds. They are attracted to these areas because of human behaviors. When people feed them or leave trash after they use park facilities, squirrels often become dependent on humans.

Africanized Bees

Both Africanized Honey Bees and European Honey Bees can be found close to the ground, in hollow trees and wall voids, utility boxes, abandoned tires, concrete power poles, and above ground in clean and dry nooks and crannies.  If you happen to disturb a colony, get inside a closed vehicle or structure; the 10 bees that come inside with you are much less dangerous than the 3,000 waiting outside!  Do not jump into a pool or pond (they can wait longer than you can).

What you can do to protect yourself, family and pets:

Inspect your property regularly for large numbers of bees and colonies.
If feral colonies are found, have them destroyed by trained Pest Management Professionals who are knowledgeable about Africanized Honey Bee removal.
Disturbing a defensive colony by untrained personnel could endanger people and pets up to 150 yards away from the colony.

Mosquitoes

Living in south Florida, you probably have had experience with mosquitoes. Most mosquitoes are active during twilight hours and at night; however, around the home, the mosquitoes that breed in discarded containers are active during the day. Mosquitoes need water to complete their life cycle; they can breed in almost any source of water. Pesticides are only a short-term solution to nuisance mosquito problems. Here are a few tips to eliminate mosquito breeding around your property:

• Remove standing water in old tires, buckets, drums, or any other containers Check clogged gutters and flat roofs that may have poor drainage
• Cover barrels and trash containers tightly with a lid or with a mesh screen Empty plastic wading pools and bird baths at least once a week and if possible store them indoors when not in use
• Store boats with a cover to reduce the amount of rain that can accumulate in them
• Level the ground around your home so water can run off
• Fill in holes or depressions near your home that collect water Fill in tree holes and hollow stumps that hold water
• Stock your ornamental water garden with mosquito-eating fish (e.g. minnows, Gambusia fish, goldfish, or guppies)
• Repair screening on windows, doors, porches, and patios
• Try a bacterial insecticide (available at local retail stores) specific to mosquitoes

Dead Animals

Dead animals attract all matter of vermin and disease, not to mention new nuisance animals which wish to feed on the carcass. If an animal has died on a public right of way or roadway, please contact the Public Works Department at 642-2071 for removal. If an animal has died on your property and you do not wish to dispose of it yourself, there are local professionals that provide this disposal in a proper manner. The Public Works Department cannot access your property to remove or dispose of animals.

Stray Pets

If you have lost your pet, you should go directly to the nearest Palm Beach County animal shelter to look for your lost dog or cat in the stray/reclaim kennels. If anyone has found a pet, they are required by law to report the information to Palm Beach County Division of Animal Care and Control’s Lost and Found section at (561) 233-1282. Be sure to provide information about where and when the animal was found and a contact name and number for shelter personnel in case there are questions. Below is additional information that may be useful when encountering stray animals:

Palm Beach County Public Safety Department Division of Animal Care and Control

7100 Belvedere Road West Palm Beach, FL 33411

(561) 233-1200

E-mail: pbcacc@pbcgov.org

Animal Abuse and Neglect:

(561) 233-1200, press 0

Animal Attacks and Bites:

(561) 233-1200, press 0

Dead Dogs or Cats:

(561) 233-1200, press 0

Lost and Found Program:

(561) 233-1282, pbcgov.com/snap

Nuisance Animal Complaints, rescue stray/injured pets and livestock:

(561) 233-1213

Injured Wildlife

If you encounter orphaned wildlife on your property, please take time to observe the animal's behavior before attempting rescue. Many baby animals appear to be orphaned when actually they are being watched by their parents. Usually the parents will return once you leave.

There are many humane ways to control wildlife in 'unwelcome' situations and places. Please contact your local wildlife rehabilitator or Humane Society for further assistance. Wildlife rehabilitators can be located on the web by conducting an Internet search using 'wildlife rehabilitation' as the keyword. Local chapters of the Humane Society are listed in the blue pages of your telephone directory. Keep in mind that these are wild animals with unpredictable behavior, no matter how cute they look. Nature intended to keep them wild so one should not try to domesticate a wild animal.

As of July 1, 2010, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control will no longer be able to send Animal Control Officers to pick up wildlife such as orphaned baby birds or mammals. They will continue to handle rabies surveillance for Palm Beach County, which includes quarantine, testing, and response to rabies vector species and human or animal exposure.

While Animal Care and Control has assisted in transporting wild animals to the rehabilitation centers in Palm Beach County, budget restraints have now forced the shelter to stop. The goal of Animal Care and Control is to focus on the safe haven and veterinary care for lost, abandoned and unwanted domestic animals, adoptions, lost pets, enforcing county, state and federal animal laws and providing effective programs to protect the health, safety and welfare of domestic animals and humans in the county.

Residents who find injured birds or wildlife in need of rescue should contact Busch Wildlife Sanctuary or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Wildlife Care Center in Ft. Lauderdale. Additional names of individuals who rehabilitate wildlife may be obtained from the Florida and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Below is a listing of local agencies that can provide assistance with injured wildlife:

Wildlife Resource Center of the Palm Beaches (Royal Palm Beach)

(561) 793-8075

McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary (Acreage)

(561) 790-2116

Universal Wildlife Rehab Foundation (West Palm Beach)

(561) 791-3441

Ocean Impact Foundation Wildlife Care Center (West Palm Beach)

(561) 471-3403

South Florida Reptile Rescue (Palm Beach County)

(561) 641-9199

South Florida Reptile Rescue (Okeechobee County)

(863) 697-2082

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary (Jupiter)

(561) 575-3399

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (www.myfwc.com)

(561) 625-5122

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Ft. Lauderdale)

(954) 524-4302