Trap Services and Wildlife Removal

Rules on Trapping

All citizens trapping nuisance wildlife, including feral cats, must have a Trap Agreement in place in order for Castroville Animal Services to service the trap. The agreement must be filled out and returned to Castroville Animal Services before trapping begins.  

• The Trap Agreement and Instructions can be downloaded and printed HERE.
• An Animal Services officer can also provide a copy of the Trap Agreement upon request. 

If you are using a personal trap, please write "Citizen owned trap" under Trap # on the Trap Agreement. If you are wanting to borrow a city trap, a new agreement must be filled out each time a trap is borrowed. Trapping agreements can be returned via email to Animal Services.  

City of Castroville Animal Services is currently loaning traps, but due to a limited amount of City Owned Traps there may be a wait time. Citizens who are having an issue where wildlife is causing a nuisance may purchase a trap at stores such as Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Lowe's or your local hardware retailer. Castroville Animal Services will remove trapped animals from personal traps. Rules and guidelines below will apply.

Trapping is NOT permitted for wildlife that is behaving normally. Seeing wildlife is not considered a nuisance. Wildlife that has burrowed into homes, foundations, crawl spaces, attics, under sheds, etc. are nuisances. Simply seeing wildlife or smelling skunks is not a reason to trap.

Humanely Deterring Wildlife

Before trapping we recommend trying to humanely deter nuisance wildlife through Habitat Modification, Exclusion, or Repellents. Keep in mind there will ALWAYS be urban wildlife that live in Castroville and deterring the animals already established in the area is the best way to keep them from creating a nuisance from certain areas. Any Animal is ultimately looking for the basics (Food, Water, Safe Shelter) and reducing the access to those basic needs will often work well in deterring wildlife. 

Different ways of deterring urban animals include:

• Keep grass trimmed, brush cleared from property and keep yards neat and tidy to reduce the number of hiding places. Keep other structures like sheds, chicken coops, etc. closed and secured, reducing places some wildlife may want to call home.  
• Any kind of food is an attractant. Secure trash cans and keep pet food securely stored. We recommend NEVER feeding wildlife and keep community cat feeding to a minimum. Healthy Community cats should not need to be fed but if you do feed an outdoor cat, food should be left out no more than 30- 45 minutes and any uneaten food is picked up promptly after feeding. 
• Empty out any standing water on the property. Keep in mind condenser drains for your AC unit could be a source of water as well. 
• Different repellants like motion activated ultrasonic devices, Motion activated Water sprayers, Lights, Radios can be used for areas of the property, or ammonia-soaked rags or tennis balls to drive out mammals like skunks who may have denned up under a house or structure. 
• Additional advice can be received from a Medina County Wildlife Biologist. Contact information is located HERE.  

Wildlife Relocation Information

Rabies in Texas is an ongoing state health emergency. Therefore, according to the Rabies Control and Eradication Administrative Code, it is illegal for a person to transport certain animals that are high risk for transmitting rabies, including any live species of fox, skunk, coyote or raccoon indigenous or naturalized to North America.  A violation of this law is a Class C misdemeanor. The following individuals are exempt from this restriction and can transport animals included in the statewide rabies quarantine only when such transport is part of their official duty:

• peace officers;
• individuals hired or contracted by state or federal agencies or local governments;
• employees of zoos or other institutions accredited by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums;
• educators permitted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for educational display;
• rehabilitators permitted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department;
• an entity issued authorization for nuisance fur-bearing animal relocation from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; and
• pest management professionals licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

If an exempt individual transports such animals for release, the animals must be released within a ten-mile radius or within ten miles of the city limits of where they were originally captured and the release must be within the county in which they were originally captured.

For additional information on the statewide rabies quarantine, contact your local Zoonosis Control office.

Bats

Bats are protected by federal and state regulations. It is a federal violation to use chemicals—including insecticides, rodenticides, disinfectants and mothballs—to kill bats. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code (Chapter 63, Section 63.101), no one may hunt, sell, offer for sale, buy, offer to buy or possess after purchase a bat or any part of a bat, dead or alive.

This rule does not apply to animal control officers, peace officers or health officials who capture a bat that they consider injured or diseased. Also exempted are people who are licensed to provide pest control services and those who transport a bat to a laboratory for testing if the bat has or may have exposed people or domestic animals to rabies.

A bat may be removed or hunted if it is inside or on a building occupied by people. A person may transport a bat to have it tested by a laboratory if rabies is suspected. Also, bats in buildings can be legally removed or evicted. For more information, view the detailed Texas bat law here.