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<pubDate>Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:46:59 GMT</pubDate>
<title>Field Notes</title>
<description>Wildlife Solutions</description>
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<title>Field Notes: Wildlife Solutions</title>
<url>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/images/Img_LogoSmall.gif</url>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/</link>
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<guid>57</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[New Species of Animal]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[We've seen it all - every animal you can imagine. We've gotten so good we can usually identify the type of animal problem a customer has simply by listening to the sounds they're making - until we were stumped a few days ago. A customer was hearing hissing noises coming from inside his child's room, which is never a good thing. When we were called to address the problem our field technician was puzzled after a thorough search of the room, the attic above, and the exterior of the home revealed no animal. The noise was loudest in the child's bedroom and could be distinctly heard every few minutes.
"A possum?," thought our tech. "It kind of sounds like the initial hiss of a snake," he pondered. Yet still, this was unlike any sound he could pinpoint. After a massive inspection of the entire room the suspect was finally found. It's a fast little species. Not too big. And one that you see a lot of around the holidays when children are around - especially little boys. It's a culprit we would never had imagined by the eery hissing sounds it was boasting every few minutes.
What in the heck was it, you ask? It was a toy truck - most likely of the elusive Tonka species. The young boy, had unknowingly left the truck turned on, causing it to spin it's wheels every few minutes - which is what made the hissing sound.
It's not often that we're stumped - but admitting it is half the battle. And after this adventure, we're pretty sure that young boy will have a good story to tell his friends - and a good friend who saved the day. ]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/new-species-of-animal</link>
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<guid>56</guid>
<pubDate>Tues, 06 Sept 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Manlift Training]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Our technicians go through rigorous training, not just when they start, but on a regular basis to keep up on new capture techniques and the always-changing safety standards. Recently, our technicians were trained on proper procedures for using a manlift. We have a lot of commercial and residential jobs that require extensive repairs in very tall places. And while we love rappelling off roofs down the side of a building, we figured this would be good backup plan to have in our pocket. It's ongoing training like this that makes us confident in saying that our field techs are the best of the the best and truly experts in their craft. When you're working with wildlife you never know what's going to happen on the job. So being prepared for anything is something we take very seriously at Wildlife Solutions. Plus, now we're fully qualified to look super cool getting cats out of trees in case you don't want to bother our brave firefighters!]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/manlift-training</link>
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<guid>55</guid>
<pubDate>Thur, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[TV, here we come again]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Ever since we starred in National Geographic Channel's series "Animal Extractors" it seems like our zebra-striped trucks are getting even more attention than ever. We're getting much more frequent honks on the road and daily occurrences of people asking us if we're the same guys from "that show on tv with the zebra trucks." We suppose there's no use fighting the obvious that Wildlife Solutions and tv are a pretty sweet combo - and we're not the only ones that think so. Recently we were contacted once again by a production crew shooting for another series on National Geographic Channel. As you are well aware, we love to share any and all knowledge we have about the wildlife industry so of course we agreed to allow the crew to follow us around for a few days. We don't want to give away too much, but let's just say the footage is certain not to disappoint. We'll keep you posted when we hear about air dates. Until then, if you get an animal problem, you know the tv-friendly zebra striped truck to call!]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/tv,-here-we-come-again</link>
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<guid>54</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Steve DeMoor's Nature Hike ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[We love animals. We also love nature. And you'll catch us talking about our respect and admiration for both during every chance we get. Recently, our own Steve DeMoor had the honor or leading a group of home school students along a nature hike in the backwoods of Central Florida. "Mr. Steve," as the youngsters called him, explained the ins and outs of wildlife, wilderness, turkey feeders, cacti, palm plants, and ended up giving a special turtle shell gift to an excited little hiker. One enthused parent wrote on her blog, "I would never venture out on an experience like this on my own with the kids for fear of snakes, bugs and even bears. But knowing we were with a group and had a wildlife expert to guide us, brought me not only peace in the experience, but joy in watching my children soak it all in." It always feels good to share our excitement about nature while planting the seeds for the wildlife experts of the future. ]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/steve-demoor's-nature-hike-</link>
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<guid>53</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Hogs Damage Beautiful Yard]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[We've all had pigs in our back yard. Most of the time it happens at our Fourth of July BBQ when uncle Tony devours a slab of ribs, seven hot dogs, and a 12 pack then passes our on the hammock. Unfortunately though, for these homeowners in Tampa, FL their beautiful gated community became overrun for a year by a different kind of pig - a wild hog. Actually, more like twenty of them.
Every time they fixed their property, crossed their fingers, and hoped it was over, a pack of hogs would come storming through and tear everything up again. This type of damage could easily rack up bills in tens of thousands of dollars for their community. Often in these situations the hogs end up causing damage to the irrigation system which ends up wreaking even more havoc. The worst part is that the hogs are so accustomed to the community that they're not even scared of the residents anymore. As you can see, the damage in the picture comes right up to the house. And according to one homeowner, tapping at them on the glass from inside doesn't do anything but get them to turn and grunt back at you.
We see these types of problems arise every day. As more and more natural habitat gets torn down for the sake of urban development, animals turn to more inhabited areas to seek food and shelter. In the past few years we've seen huge increases in the amounts of hogs, coyotes, and bob cats causing damage and creating conflicts in residential areas.
Be on the look out for small signs that may indicate the start of this type of animal activity in your community. By stopping the problem before it gets out of hand, you could save yourself and your neighbors a boat load of money. Let's all do our best to make sure uncle Tony is the only pig in our yard this year.  ]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/hogs-damage-beautiful-yard</link>
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<guid>50</guid>
<pubDate>Thur, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Tragic Death Due To Widlife]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[We recently came across a news story about someone losing their life in an <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-11-30-deerkill30_ST_N.htm?csp=usat.me">accident involving wildlife</a>. Hearing this tragic news struck really close to home with us. In case you haven't seen our most recent episode of WS TV, it's important to know that the winter season always brings about an increased amount of wild animal activity.
While there is no way to ultimately prevent freak occurrences from happening, educating ourselves to the patterns of wildlife is a start. Being aware that animal activity increases during cold weather can serve as a reminder that we all need to be extra cautious during these upcoming months.
While we reflect on all we have to be thankful for during this holiday season, please remember to put safety first and help educate friends and family of the patterns that Mother Nature has put into place.

]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/tragic-death-due-to-widlife</link>
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<guid>48</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 21 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[We're On TV]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[International airways, here we come again! That's right; your favorite wildlife experts in zebra-striped trucks are being featured again on National Geographic's original series "Animal Extractors". Check your local listings for air times or just <a href="http://www.hulu.com/the-animal-extractors">click here to visit a site</a> where you can see all the episodes any time you want. Tune in and let us know what you think!
]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/we're-on-tv</link>
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<guid>49</guid>
<pubDate>Tues, 14 Sept 2010 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Pigeons Poop on Kings of Leon]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Ever heard of the expression "it's for the birds?" Well, apparently the pop group Kings of Leon are definitely NOT for the birds. The group was forced to stop their recent concert in St. Louis due to "a hail of pigeon poop," according to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/24/kings.of.leon.pigeons/index.html">a recent CNN article</a>. The crafty "sniper-pigeons" hanging out in the rafters demonstrated their remarkable aim by blasting poo into the face of the the band's guitarist during the opening song.
Apparently the Kings weren't the first band to experience this problem at the Verizon Amphitheatre. CNN reports that there has been "a significant pigeon infestation problem with summer shows over the years," but the management of the Amphitheatre claim to be doing all they can to solve the messy situation. Obviously, their efforts aren't producing the desired results.
To all pigeons reading this blog:we at Wildlife Solutions are big believers in free speech and criticism, but we think pooping in someone's face is a little harsh. If you didn't like the music, you could have just flown away...you have wings, remember?
And to the management of the Verizon Ampitheatre, give the experts at Wildlife Solutions a call; we'll get rid of those pesky pigeons for ya. :)

]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/pigeons-poop-on-kings-of-leon</link>
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<guid>47</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Belay Training]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[When you're working with wildlife you never know what's going to happen on the job. So being prepared for anything is something we take very seriously at Wildlife Solutions. The animal could be hiding in a hole, camped out in an attic, or even on the top of a ten story building. Due to the unexpected nature of our line of work, field technicians truly need to be prepared for and capable of handling whatever is thrown their way. As you can imagine, this requires long hours of training. Recently our staff participated in some pretty fun training at an indoor rock climbing center in Central Florida. 
There have been plenty of situations in the past where we've had to repel from the rooftops of buildings in order to address bat colonies, rescue entangled wildlife, and install bird control devices. Our rock climbing escapade ensured everyone on our team is comfortable and fully-trained on the proper belaying and repelling procedures. Here at Wildlife Solutions we're true to our word when we say that every day is an adventure - and making sure our staff are fully trained and ready for anything has proven to be an important factor in building our reputation for excellent work and outstanding customer service. So whether you need help with raccoons in an attic, bats on a roof, or a simple walk-through on how to weave a figure 8 knot through a belay key lock, you know who to call.]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/belay-training</link>
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<guid>46</guid>
<pubDate>Tues, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[A Wildlife Solutions Hero]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Saving lives is our business. Granted, usually it's the lives of scared animals that wandered into a home to find shelter and ended up in a sticky situation. However, recently one of our field technicians had his heroic tendencies tested when he had to think quick and save the life of one of our customers. Everything started out pretty normal. Brenner, a field technician, went over to a nice woman's house to do an inspection on her home. He noticed immediately that she was very hands-on and curious about the process. After a quick visit to his zebra-striped truck to write up the estimate, he found no response when knocking on her door for several minutes. Nervous that something wasn't right, he walked around back and found a door cracked open. He called her name, still with no response. When he peeked in, he was shocked to see her laying on the kitchen floor in a pool of her own blood. We don't really know how the story ended up because he ran out of there screaming and went home to take a nap........... just kidding. Brenner immediately ran over to her and began administrating CPR and dialing 911. His quick wit allowed him to keep her alive until paramedics arrived. Apparently, during the short time that Brenner was in his truck, the customer experienced a seizure, had fallen, and hit her head on the way down. Doctors say she would have surely died if he wasn't there at that moment.
We're always impressed with the great work our field technicians do on a daily basis, but today we're especially proud. Heroes come in all different shapes and sizes. And as much as we at Wildlife Solutions try to train our employees to be ready for any situation, we definitely didn't have this one in our training manual. We are always looking for people of the highest character and ability to join our team and it doesn't surprise us one bit that Brenner was able to act quickly in this stressful situation and save the life of one of customers. We all wish her a speedy recovery and just can't give enough praise to the quick thinking and level headedness of our main man, Brenner.
So really, the moral of the story is that if you ever experience an animal problem, make sure to call Wildlife Solutions...it could save your life. ;)
]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/a-wildlife-solutions-hero</link>
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<guid>45</guid>
<pubDate>Thur, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Beaver 250: The Christian Agnew Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Christian Agnew of Wildlife Solutions has officially captured his 250th beaver! That's right. It's a milestone every trapper worth their weight strives to reach. Now, while Paramount Pictures didn't seem to think it was as big of a deal as we do, we still made an awesome promo video for the upcoming movie <a href="http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/video/wildlife-solutions-presents-beaver-250/">"Beaver 250"</a>. Check it out to the left in our WS TV section. Once again, congratulations to Christian, who's beaver accomplishment ranks third only behind Daniel Boone and Davie Crockett. Everyone at Wildlife Solutions is really pumped for him...except for Steve DeMoor. But that's only because fifteen years ago Steve made a bet that if Christian ever caught his 250th beaver he'd name his first son "Beaver." Beaver DeMoor. Wow. Sorry buddy, school's gonna be rough.

]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/beaver-250:-the-christian-agnew-story</link>
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<guid>44</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Another SEWE Under Our Belts]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Well, once again we're sad to say goodbye to the largest wildlife art and nature event in the nation - <a href="http://www.sewe.com/">the Southeastern Wildlife Expo</a>. The expo has been going strong for 26 years now, and we've been rocking out at our little booth for four years in a row. While the camel rides are a good enough reason on their own, the real reason we attend is to support our friends at <a href="http://www.keeperofthewild.org">Keeper of the Wild</a>. Here at Wildlife Solutions we're proud to support and promote their tireless efforts to rescue and rehabilitate local wildlife. We do our best to help spread the word and educate as many people as we can about the selfless work these rehabbers do everyday. They truly are amazing people with a noble cause.
If you couldn't figure it out already, we're huge fans of wildlife rehabilitators. In fact, we donate a portion of all proceeds to wildlife rescue centers in the many communities we service. It truly is a wonderful cause and we encourage everyone to keep wildlife rehabbers in their hearts, minds, and prayers for everything they do for these animals. And of course, donations don't hurt either :)]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/another-sewe-under-our-belts</link>
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<guid>43</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<title><![CDATA[Raccoons Making Themself at Home]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[People ask us all the time, "Hey awesome Wildlife Solutions guys, how am I supposed to know if I have an animal problem?" We usually explain that the clues can be subtle and hard to find, sometimes requiring an expert inspection to uncover the truth. But in the case of one Orlando homeowner, the answer was quite different. It went something like, "You know you have a wildlife problem when the raccoons have literally worn a path into the grass leading from the woods directly up to your front porch." Not only was the evidence at this home as "in your face" as getting whacked by steel chair in a wrestling match, but we think the raccoons were about a week away from hanging miniature hammocks and installing a margarita machine.
See, raccoons are creatures of habit. If they find a way to get one of their needs met, they'll repeat the behavior. In this instance, the need for food was met by walking up to this guy's front porch every day and eating cat food that was left outside. Not only did the raccoons come back so frequently that they wore a trail into the lawn, but they started inviting friends and family, and even training their offspring. After a while, the homeowner ended up with several generations of raccoons visiting his front door each day.
The moral of the story is: if you see signs of wildlife activity in or around your home, act swiftly. Call a wildlife professional and have the problem solved before some wrestler in tights has to point out the obvious. In other words, handle it before a group of raccoons make their own sidewalk to your front door. ]]></description>
<link>http://www.wildlifesolutions.com/fieldnotes/raccoons-making-themself-at-home</link>
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