Animals & Pets

What do I do if an animal bites or scratches me?

If an animal bites or scratches you:

1. Clean the wound with soap and water
2. Get medical help by contacting your doctor or visit a local hospital
3. Report the exposure to Southwestern Public Health 1-800-922-0096 (Doctors, nurses, or animal workers are also required to report any bites or scratches seen)

Note: Just because an animal bites or scratches you doesn’t mean it has rabies. The animal involved is not in trouble, Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) just needs to monitor the animal with help from their owner for signs and symptoms of rabies.

What happens after an animal bite is reported?

Once an animal bite is reported, SWPH will reach out to you within one business day. Here’s what you can expect:

• If the animal involved is a pet: SWPH will contact the pet’s owner. The pet will stay with their owner to be monitored for signs of rabies for ten days. If the animal is alive and healthy after the ten days, it did not have rabies at the time of the bite. The bite victim will not need to receive rabies treatment.
• If the animal is stray or wild: SWPH will perform a risk assessment regarding the exposure. If the animal involved cannot be located, rabies treatment may be required.

If you do not hear from SWPH within one business day after reporting the bite, or you have questions about a potential exposure, please call 1-800-922-0096.

How can I protect myself and pets from rabies?

• Vaccinate pets against rabies
• All cats, dogs, ferrets, and animals that the public might come in contact with (e.g., petting zoo animals) must be vaccinated against rabies
• Make sure your pet’s vaccinations are up to date
• Keep pets indoors at night
• Speak with your vet if you see any unexplained wounds on your pet, or if you pet is bit or scratched by another animal
• Keep a safe distance from unfamiliar animals, especially stray or wild ones
• Supervise children around animals and teach them safe behaviour
• Do not attempt to feed or touch wild or sick animals
• Do not approach animals behaving oddly or aggressively
• Report any strange behaviour in animals, like aggression or lethargy, to local animal control
• Be familiar with the signs of rabies in your pets and wild animals

Read about Animal Bites and Rabies

Often when people are in conflict with wildlife, they think the best solution is moving the animal. Wildlife relocation is seen as an easy, quick, and humane way to solve conflicts, but this may cause more harm than good.

Wildlife relocation is regulated in Ontario under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. If an animal is captured it must be released unharmed in close proximity to the capture site (within 1 kilometer) or, if sick or injured, delivered to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator within 24 hours unless otherwise directed by the Ministry.

There are various effective, humane, and inexpensive things people can do to prevent and manage human-wildlife conflict instead of relocating wild animals. For example, many problems can be prevented and managed using methods such as wildlife-proofing your home, practising proper waste management techniques, etc.

Read about Wildlife and Nature

Town of Aylmer staff will remove dead animals from Town-owned property and roadways.

Request a Service

Wildlife Services

The Town does not remove wildlife from private property. Property owners are responsible for arranging and paying for animal removal services, such as in cases where nuisance raccoons or other wildlife are found in a yard. Pest control and animal removal professionals are properly trained and equipped to handle wildlife safely.

Wildlife Rehabilitators

In Ontario, wildlife rehabilitators are authorized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to provide temporary care to sick, injured and abandoned wildlife so it can be returned to the wild. Rehabilitators commit significant time and resources, and many solicit donations to assist with their work.

Every effort is made by wildlife rehabilitators to ensure wildlife in their care do not become tame.

To get help for a sick, injured or abandoned animal, you can contact:

• an authorized wildlife rehabilitator
• your local ministry district office

The Town of Aylmer has implemented a pilot Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Program for Feral Cats to address the issue of the feral cat population within Aylmer’s boundaries.

What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?

Trap-Neuter-Return or TNR is a humane and proven approach to controlling feral cat populations. The program involves the humane trapping, sterilization, vaccination and marking of feral cats, followed by the return of the animal to the area where they were caught.

Why are the feral cats returned to where they were trapped?

As territorial animals, the return of processed feral cats to the area where they were trapped discourages unspayed and unneutered animals from moving into the territory, adding to the population and contributing to the wider issues caused by feral cat populations.

Do TNR programs work?

Overtime, with each successful spay or neuter, the population of feral cats begins to stabilize, and eventually decreases with the natural or accidental conclusion of each animal’s lifespan. That is not to say that the issue ceases to exist, but it becomes more manageable and less burdensome to residents.

Advantages:

• Reduces the number of feral cats within the community over time through humane population control
• Reduces incidences of cat fights, caterwauling, marking and other nuisance behaviours in feral cat populations
• Spaying and neutering improves the health of cats, decreasing incidences of cancer (including uterine, breast and testicular cancers)
• Reduces the risk of injury or death in local bird and wildlife populations

Aren’t stray cats and feral cats the same? 

No. Stray cats are companion animals that have strayed or have been abandoned, but have been socialized to human contact and are dependent on humans for food and shelter. A feral cat is not socialized, does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and is usually extremely fearful or resistant to human contact. Feral cats cannot be adopted out to become companion animals due to their avoidant and fearful nature.

How does Aylmer’s TNR program work?

1. REGISTER COLONY
   • Feral cat colony caretakers register their colony with the Town of Aylmer and complete a colony census tracking form to access the TNR program and its resources.
2. APPLY FOR TNR VOUCHERS
   • Once approved as a colony caretaker, caretakers apply for TNR vouchers to cover the cost of spay and neuter procedures for colony cats.
3. TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN
   • Colony caretakers trap feral cats from their colony and transport them to the associated veterinary clinic for care. Once processed through the veterinary clinic, the colony caretakers provide post-procedure care until it is safe to release the cat back into the colony.
4. MONITOR COLONY
   • Colony caretakers continue to track and monitor their colony, recording relevant details in a colony census tracking form. The census tracking form must be submitted twice annually to the Town in order for a colony caretaker to remain registered.
5. HELP CONTROL THE FERAL CAT POPULATION
   • The process continues until the feral cat population reaches a point where it ceases to grow and begins to decline.

Resources

• Register a Feral Cat Colony
• Apply for TNR Vouchers for Your Feral Cat Colony