Living in Lakewood Ranch is an abundance of wildlife that shares our community and sometimes even our roads. Avoiding conflicts with wildlife, especially after a storm when wildlife may have been displaced due to water or wind is key to staying safe.
The best thing to do is contact a local, licensed wildlife rehabilitator. A list of permitted wildlife rehabilitators, by county and type of wildlife they can assist can be found on The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website here.
Below are links to additional wildlife encounters resources.
| Title | Content | Link | Sorting Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida’s Wild Cats | Guide to identifying panthers and bobcats | ||
| Injured and Orphaned Wildlife | Who to contact | 2 | |
| Permitted FL Wildlife Rehabilitators | List of Permitted Wildlife Rehabilitators by County with contact info | 3 | |
| SW Florida Animal Rescue | Facebook page for Wildlife Center of SW Florida | 4 | |
| Alligators | Living with Alligators | 5 | |
| Alligator Interactions | Safety tips, video and links to Alligator encounters | 6 | |
| Turtles | Florida Turtles and Tortoises | 7 | |
| Snakes | Living with Snakes | 8 | |
| Snakes in Residential Areas | ID commonly encountered snakes with photos | 9 | |
| Venomous Snake Encounters | Snake encounters, what to do if bitten | 10 | |
| Venomous Snake ID | FL venomous snakes plus ID tips | 11 | |
| Identify a Florida Snake | ID snake by region, color and pattern | 12 | |
| Snakes of Florida | Comprehensive 16-page pdf with color photos | 13 | |
| Common Snakes in Sarasota | Recorded webinar of common backyard snakes in Sarasota | 14 | |
| FL Most Snake Infested Areas | Lists venemous and nonvenemous snakes near Manatee River | 15 | |
| Sandhill Cranes | Living with Sandhill Cranes | 16 | |
| Wild Turkeys | Wild Turkey encounters | 17 | |
| Vultures | Living with Vultures | 18 | |
| Armadillos | Living with Armadillos | 19 | |
| Opossums | Living with Opossums | 20 | |
| Wild Boar | Wild Boar encounters, what to do | 21 |
In Manatee and Sarasota counties, enter “911” in the “to” line and send a message. providing an exact location of the emergency.
