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WDCO call process
A WDCO phone call is not the same thing as free public support, emergency dispatch, animal-control service, food-safety clearance, or onsite removal. The first brief screen only decides the right route. Property-specific triage and assessment happen through a paid call.
Scheduled phone assessment: $50.00. Authorized impromptu phone assessment: $150.00 for up to 30 minutes during business hours (Monday-Friday, 10 AM-10 PM Eastern).
License scope
Maryland DNR Wildlife & Heritage Service WDCO license no. 58150 — Michael W. Deem, d/b/a Maryland Wilderness Company. Authorized license species: Birds, mammals (including bats), reptiles, and amphibians.
Before a paid call
Use the route check when you are unsure whether the situation belongs in emergency/health, animal control, local onsite WDCO, official-source routing, general prevention reading, or paid Maryland Wilderness phone/email triage.
Call flow
1 · Safety screen
If there is a bite, scratch, saliva exposure, bat exposure, injured person, immediate danger, or active animal in a regulated food area, health, emergency, animal-control, local onsite, or official-source paths may come first.
2 · Paid questionnaire
The form captures referral source, premises type, active animal status, exposure status, route needed, description, contact details, and optional photos/video before checkout.
3 · Review and call
Maryland Wilderness reviews the submission and uses the call to organize evidence, identify route boundaries, and decide whether official-source, local onsite WDCO, or separate service is needed.
4 · Next step
The assessment may result in observation guidance, documentation needs, official-source routing, local WDCO referral, or separate onsite service terms. It does not guarantee removal, repair, clearance, or agency action.
Service-call priority
Maryland Wilderness may need to reschedule a paid phone assessment if active service, urgent field work, onsite obligations, or business operations conflict with the appointment time. If a reschedule is offered, the customer may accept it.
Declining the reschedule, missing the call, being unavailable, or deciding not to proceed does not create a refund. The assessment is a final-sale information and triage service.
Not included
No onsite guarantee
The phone assessment is not dispatch, trapping, exclusion, repair, sanitation, cleanup, or emergency response.
No health clearance
Bites, saliva exposure, bat-in-room concerns, food-service settings, and regulated-premises decisions remain with health, animal-control, or regulatory paths.
No agency authority
Maryland Wilderness is not DNR, a county, animal control, a health department, or a federal agency.
No contractor guarantee
Maryland Wilderness Company is MHIC exempt. For improvement work or guaranteed craftsmanship, hire a contractor.
Scheduling
The public scheduler requires at least 1 day of notice, subject to business hours, capacity, blocks, and already-booked paid calls. Urgent situations should use the proper emergency, health, animal-control, local onsite WDCO, or official-source path.
Term paths
Open the floating glossary or these glossary hubs when a term needs context. The hubs collect the vocabulary that helps readers find the right department faster.
