TN Animal Care & Control Virtual Conference Presentation - Rusty Boles from TWRA talking about Living with Wildlife, Officer Safety & TWRA Information

Our fourth speaker for the virtual TACCC 2020 will be Rusty Boles. After serving in the US Army, Russell Boles began his law enforcement career. He has over 24 years of law enforcement experience working in police departments, sheriff's departments, and with TWRA. For the last 12 years, he has been assigned to the Special Investigations Unit. Six years ago, he was assigned as the Program Coordinator for Nuisance Animal Damage Control. In this role, Russell has instituted new laws, rules and regulations as well as procedures for handling nuisance wildlife. He has also developed and implemented seven training courses to assist nuisance operators in their daily operations. Russell holds a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Science.

In this informative session, attendees will learn the "ins and outs" of living with wildlife in urban settings and the "dos and don'ts" the general public should know to keep local wildlife from becoming a nuisance issue. Attendees will also learn the different behaviors of wildlife they may come in contact with to assist them in safe handling. Alternative methods will be discussed for behavior modification to decrease the contact with the animals, and federal and state laws will be discussed for which animals you are allowed to make contact with. There will also be a question/answer period for attendees to discuss their concerns in regard to the regulation of wildlife.