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Wild Animal in or Near Your Jackson Home? Who to Call

Checked against City of Jackson, MDWFP and Mississippi State Department of Health pages on November 7, 2026. How we research this site.

For most wild animals in or around a Jackson house, the honest answer is a private operator. The city has no animal control facility, MDWFP sets rules rather than sending staff, and the health department is the call that matters most for bats and bites.

Who to call in Jackson, by situation

The health department comes first for bats

Mississippi is unusual. The Mississippi State Department of Health says land-animal rabies is exceptionally rare in the state, and that bats are the primary reservoir of the virus here. Rabid bats turn up every year. That flips the usual priorities: a raccoon in the attic is mostly a property problem, while a bat in a bedroom is a medical one.

MSDH’s instructions for a bat in the house are short. Leave the room, close the door, and do not release the bat. Any bat, live or dead, that may have had contact with a person or a pet should be tested, and the Office of Epidemiology explains how on 601-576-7725, or 601-576-7400 after hours. If there was contact and the bat has escaped, MSDH says to get prompt medical attention.

The City of Jackson

Jackson 311 is the city’s single line for non-emergency services: dial 3-1-1 or use the online portal, and the request is routed to the right department and tracked. The city lists non-emergency police and animal control issues among the things 311 handles.

What the city does not have, according to WLBT’s July 2026 reporting, is an animal control facility. A rescue group in that story said the shelter closed in 2021. In practice that means a stray dog call may go nowhere quickly, and a wild animal inside your house is not a city job at all.

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks

MDWFP writes the rules and leaves most removal to homeowners and private operators. Its nuisance wildlife page links straight to a search for nuisance wildlife control specialists near you, and to the permit that operators apply for.

Six species are legally nuisance animals in Mississippi: beaver, coyote, fox, nutria, skunk and wild hog. Anyone 16 or older trapping on land other than their own needs a Mississippi trapping licence, and baiting traps is not allowed, though lure is. Raccoons, opossums and squirrels are not on the nuisance list. For buildings, MDWFP’s nongame wildlife rule lets a resident kill a nongame mammal that has moved into a building or damaged a yard, and a snake on land they own or live on.

For Hinds County, MDWFP’s Central Region office is the Turcotte Lab, 506 Highway 43 South, Canton, (601) 859-3421. The department’s main office is in Jackson at 1505 Eastover Drive, and its Wildlife Bureau is on 601-432-2199.

Things that catch Jackson homeowners out

Letting the bat go. MSDH notes that bat bites can be tiny and painless. Once the bat is out of the window it cannot be tested, which is why MSDH says not to release it.

Doing the bat exclusion yourself. MSDH’s advice is that removal or exclusion should only be done by a professional pest control provider.

Waiting for animal control. With no city facility, there may be nowhere for an officer to take an animal. Plan on a private service for anything inside the house.

The smell weeks later. An animal that died in a wall or crawlspace is nobody’s public responsibility here. What is and is not collected.

Questions people ask

Does Jackson animal control remove wild animals?

The city does not publish a wildlife removal service. Jackson 311 takes non-emergency animal control issues, and WLBT reported in July 2026 that the city has no animal control facility. An animal living in a house is a job for a private operator.

Will MDWFP come and get a raccoon out of my attic?

MDWFP’s nuisance wildlife page points homeowners to a search for nuisance wildlife control specialists rather than offering removal itself. It also sets the rules on which animals count as nuisance animals and who needs a trapping licence.

Can I kill a snake in my yard in Mississippi?

MDWFP’s nongame wildlife rule lets a resident kill a snake on land they own or where they live, or a venomous snake that is a reasonable danger to people. If anyone has been bitten, call 911 first.

Who do I call about an alligator in Hinds County?

MDWFP says to report a nuisance alligator to your regional office. Hinds County is in MDWFP’s Central Region, whose office is the Turcotte Lab in Canton, (601) 859-3421. For an emergency, such as an alligator in a garage, on a highway or in a parking lot, MDWFP gives its hotline, 1-800-BE-SMART (1-800-237-6278).