Animals

When you are near a pond in the summer time you must always be careful of poisonous snakes and alligators that may be lurking around in the water and the bushes. It is always a wise thing to high tail it in the other direction when you spot one. David Covington with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said the best thing for people to do when they encounter wildlife is to leave the animals alone.

“In most situations my advice to anyone who might come upon a snake at their home or an alligator on a lake or in the river is to just leave them alone and let them be ’gators and snakes. We honestly don’t handle many snake calls because people either try to deal with them on their own, or the snakes just move on to somewhere else, but we do have nuisance animal officers in each zone who can come in and relocate problem alligators and bears,” said Covington.

Forrest City Animal Control Officer Brooke Goodbar said any problems with wildlife need to be directed to Game and Fish officers. Goodbar said that the city’s animal control officers are only allowed to deal with domestic animals, such as dogs. “Animal control is only authorized, by ordinance, to deal with domestic animals, and we aren’t authorized to deal with any wildlife.

There have been times in the past where we’ve assisted in some instances, but as a matter of policy, we only deal with domestic animals, and we assist the police department with aggressive dogs,” said Goodbar. Many residents call upon the Forrest City Police Department when they encounter wild animals, and officials with the department stressed that those calls need to placed to animal control. However, Goodbar reiterated that for wildlife matters, her department is not authorized.

“There are always exceptions to the rule, but on a day-to-day basis, all wildlife calls should go through Game and Fish. There are instances where we may be able to assist, but we’re not authorized to come into any resident’s home and remove any type of wildlife. That is really the responsibility of the homeowner,” Goodbar said.

The best move for area homeowners could be taking the proper precautions to avoid having snakes in your area. “The best thing that most people can do is keep their yards groomed and cut down on habitat for rodents. Snakes aren’t going to come to an area unless their is something there for them to eat, and they’re going to follow their prey. So if you have a woodpile near your home or if there is a lot nearby that is unkempt and there is a food source for the snakes, you’re probably going to find them, and you’ll find the non-venomous species like king snakes, rat snakes and garter snakes, as well as the venomous varieties.

Covington also said that the best thing most people can do in the rare occasion that they encounter an alligator in eastern Arkansas is leave it alone. According to Covington, alligators are still a protected species, and individuals who kill them can face incarceration and fines. “Alligators are still a protected species, and here in Arkansas we are actually incorporating a hunting season for alligators. But anyone who kills one out of season or without the proper permits will face jail time and fines. It is illegal to possess any part of an alligator unless you have a permit for it,” Covington said.