Local wildlife information

Wildlife control in Virginia

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Wildlife in Virginia: what to know

Around Virginia

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

What to note

Where you see wildlife, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.

Local research

Wildlife in Virginia: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which wildlife actually live in Virginia, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

332: raccoon 139, skunk 83, fox 33, bat 33, cat 29

Rabid animals, 2025 (preliminary)

Groundhogs (5), cows (3), dogs (2), opossums (2) also tested positive.

Virginia Department of Health

Illegal to trap and relocate to another area

Relocation

Applies to all nuisance species; DWR helpline 1-855-571-9003.

Virginia DWR

Nuisance Wildlife species recorded in Virginia

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) — Top terrestrial rabies vector in the East; relocation banned in most states.
Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) — Primary rabies reservoir in Texas and the central U.S.; Illinois requires euthanasia of trapped striped skunks.
Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) — Furbearer in Illinois; rarely rabid; handled under general nuisance rules.
Gray fox / red fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus / Vulpes vulpes) — Rabies vector species in MD and PA; Texas bans transport of live foxes.

Rules that apply in Virginia

Virginia DWR nuisance wildlife hub

For context, nationally

Around 4,000; more than 90% in wildlife — Animal rabies cases reported per year. CDC
More than 20% each — Skunks and foxes that expose people or pets and are rabid. CDC

Sources: Virginia Department of Health; Virginia DWR; Rabies in the United States: Protecting Public Health; Class A (commercial) Nuisance Wildlife Control Permit study packet (17 Ill. Adm. Code 525); COMAR 08.03.15 Wildlife Damage Control Operator regulations. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Virginia cities

Alexandria

Humid Subtropical · urban setting

Wildlife control in Virginia

Wildlife in Virginia: what to know

Around Virginia

What to note

A useful next step

Wildlife in Virginia: what the public record shows

Nuisance Wildlife species recorded in Virginia

Rules that apply in Virginia

For context, nationally

Explore Virginia cities

Alexandria

Blacksburg

Charlottesville

Chesapeake

Danville

Fredericksburg

Hampton

Harrisonburg

Leesburg

Lynchburg

Manassas

Newport News

Norfolk

Petersburg

Portsmouth

Richmond

Roanoke

Suffolk

Virginia Beach

Winchester

Ask about wildlife control in Virginia