Safety

• Consider the choices open to you before deciding how you will deal with the nuisance animal. Think about which practice is the safest for the animal, yourself and the people around you. Many wildlife control procedures involve working in public areas or in people's homes and gardens. Find out if the animal has bitten anyone or is deemed to be dangerous or diseased before attending the scene, so you can prepare the right equipment. Take extra care when working near roads and fast-moving traffic or farm vehicles because you may get injured or even killed if you attempt to control a wild animal outdoors in a busy location. Ensure that old or damaged buildings are safe before entering them to capture an animal or treat an infestation.
  
  

Size and Number

• Wildlife control officers have to consider how many animals they are expected to bring under control, exactly where they are located in a building or outdoor space and how large or small each animal is. A herd of lost elephants in a large field will need very different control mechanisms from a few bats hidden in an attic space. Small does not always mean easier to control. Dealing with an infestation of woodlice or insects inside beams which rot wood will require specialized equipment, fumigation devices and possibly a large amount of expensive construction work as a result of the operation, so overall cost and damage caused are factors which must be considered as well as size.
  
  

Environment

• The effect of your actions on the non-nuisance local wildlife populations should be considered, according to Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators. Nuisance animals and insects are often found in large numbers, so capturing and disposing of one or two single specimens will not have a huge impact on their species. However, some species considered pests by certain people, such as bats, are already threatened in terms of their numbers and are not thought of as a problem by many conservationists, so killing or reducing their populations may have wider ecological implications. In this delicate case, a solution would need to involve removal of the offenders from the complainant's property, but avoidance of the deaths of a significant proportion of the bat population.
  
  

Legality

• Always consider the legal implications of what you do to control a nuisance animal or population of problem pests. Some species are not even allowed to be handled. Check with your local authority before attending the scene and talk to them about which type of animal you are dealing with. Ask if you need a special permit to remove the animals and transport them (such as migratory birds) or a license for dangerous practices, such as shooting deer on private land. Be careful to also get permission from landowners for removal or release of animals off and onto land. This includes acquiring permission from property management services, such as a public park. An example would be reintroducing escaped geese.