Cats, dogs and … lemurs?
A few years ago, East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control responded to a call in a Baton Rouge neighborhood about an animal they had very little experience with: a lemur, one of the stripe-tailed primates native to Madagascar.
The lemur was being housed in an animal pen in the resident’s front yard, and a neighbor had called it in.
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“Apparently you can have those in Texas, but the guy brought it over here,” says Animal Control director Daniel Piatkiewicz. “That’s about as crazy as it gets.”
The lemur was soon handed over to Wildlife and Fisheries officers.
“It’s definitely one of the weirdest calls we’ve ever responded to and one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen,” says Animal Control officer Anna Catalanello.
As if lemurs weren’t enough, Animal Control is starting to see more and more non-native tortoises wandering about.
“People are keeping them as pets, and they keep getting out,” Piatkiewicz says.
When they’re not responding to calls about exotic animals like lemurs and tortoises, the officers are dealing daily with more domesticated animals like dogs and cats.
East Baton Rouge Animal Control services the entirety of East Baton Rouge Parish, answering to all animal-related calls.
Depending on the day, Pietkiewicz and his officers can respond to a minimum of 10 and as many as 50 calls a day. It depends on the time of year and area of town the officers are patrolling, Catalanello says. Spring and summer are usually busier.
Catalanello personally responds to anywhere between one and 12 calls a day.
She mostly responds to incidents involving animals in humane or run-of-the-mill wildlife traps.
Callers share stories ranging from animal cruelty and dog fighting to stray animals or those caught in traps, Piatkiewicz says. Stray and loose animals are the most common.
“We try to protect people from animals, and animals from people,” Catalanello says.
The traps are usually “Have A Heart” traps rented out by Animal Control. The traps don’t harm the animal, keeping it contained until an officer can pick them up.
The majority of creatures found in the traps are cats, squirrels, raccoons and opossums.
“People just have to rent the trap, bait it with something like cat food, leave it out overnight, and you’ll have something in it by the next morning,” Catalanello says.
Animal Control also partners with Companion Animal Alliance. The nonprofit animal shelter near LSU’s campus took over sheltering domestic pets captured by Animal Control.
Keeping people and animals safe is just a part of the job, and it’s not surprising Piatkiewicz’s favorite part of the work day is a simple thing.
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“I just really enjoy the people I work with on a daily basis,” he says. “And of course, being able to help the people and animals of this parish.”
Find East Baton Rouge Animal Control on the brla.gov website.
This article was originally published in the June 2021 issue of 225 magazine.