Animal Control talks ostrich, snakes, pigs and more

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — When an ostrich was spotted weaving through traffic on Louise Ave. in Sioux Falls this week, Sioux Falls Animal Control was called, but they themselves made a call while on route to the scene.

Ostrich in traffic near 26th and Louise

“It was kind of going on a whim and pulling stuff together as we were on our way to the call, we did call the zoo just asking for advice on how we’d be able to get close and capture the ostrich,” said Patty Beckman, Animal Control Supervisor for the Sioux Falls Police.

“What we were concerned about was the claws of the bird,” explained Beckman, “because obviously that can cause injury to a human.”

Animal Control deals with a lot more than just ostriches, of course, but Beckman says the ostrich holds a special status.

“Honestly, the ostrich takes the cake on the most exotic animal that we have dealt with. I discussed it with the other Animal Control officers to see if anybody had anything different. And everyone said the ostrich is definitely No. 1 on their list,” said Beckman.

What else is on that list? Well, Beckman says she’s dealt with two moose encounters in her nine-years with Animal Control. Beyond this, she lists mountain lions as another more wild animal they’ve encountered.

“We’ve had some emus get loose in Sioux Falls,” she added.

Ostrich in traffic near 26th and Louise

In one case, the emus came from a farm just outside city limits, in another case they were being kept illegally in the city.

The illegal keeping of an animal in the city is not always so dramatic as an emu though.

“We’ve had some people having like potbelly pigs in Sioux Falls. We’ve had a full blown sow that was being raised in Sioux Falls and some goats that people wanted to keep,” said Beckman. “But unfortunately, that is illegal in Sioux Falls unless you’re in an agriculturally zoned district.”

Ostriches, Beckman specified, are also illegal to keep in the city — something she said people have been inquiring about since the Louise Ave. incident.

Back to the subject of goats and pigs, livestock generally is something that people in Sioux Falls are not allowed to own, but with farms surrounding the city, Animal Control still sees plenty.

“We’ve had horses get loose, we’ve had cows, goats, sheep and pigs,” Beckman said. “We’ve seen a variety of livestock throughout the years just wandering through the city.”

Giant birds and livestock aside, there is still more that Animal Control encounters.

“We’ve had a few different types of snakes that are not native to the U.S. that we’ve had to pull out of houses,” Beckman said. “We have had venomous snakes that we have taken out of people’s houses, along with just larger snakes, such as pythons and those types of things.”

While Animal Control was calling the zoo for advice on the way to the ostrich call, snakes are something that they handle with more preparation.

“We do try to take snake training at least every couple of years with the zoo on how to handle the larger snakes and how to tell the difference between a venomous snake and a non-venomous snake,” Beckman said.

With birds, snakes and livestock all in the mix, Beckman’s pick for the most dangerous animals to deal with might surprise you. “It’s more of the domesticated dogs that we deal with that have the aggression that we have to worry about,” she said.

Speaking of danger, Beckman advocates staying out of it if you encounter an unexpected animal. “If you’re not familiar with the animal and it is wildlife or an exotic animal that’s not native to South Dakota, it’s best to call the authorities to come and handle it,” she said. “If they keep eyes on the animal, that would be great. But if the animal is posing a threat just to stay in your vehicle where it’s safe.”

If you’re thinking about getting an animal but aren’t sure if you can legally keep it in the city, Beckman says to just call Animal Control and ask.