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If you have a stray animal on your property, you can contact Burke County Animal Control at (828) 438-5465 to come pick the animal up. Burke Animal Control will only pick-up stray animals, if the animal is owned by the caller then it is the owner’s responsibility to bring the animal to the shelter. The animal control officers will do their best to capture stray animals but doing so may require the setting of a trap if the animal runs from people or proves to be skittish. Animals can only be picked up if they are on the property of the caller or in a public space, if a stray animal runs into a neighbor’s yard then it cannot be picked up without that property owner’s permission.
Burke County Animal Control does not pick up dead animals. If an animal is dead on a roadway you can contact the NC Depart of Transportation (828) 438-6274 to pick up the dead animal if it is a state maintained roadway or if it is a roadway inside a city limits you can try to contact that city’s public works department. If an animal is found dead anywhere else, it is the responsibility of the property owner to properly dispose of the dead animal even if they are not the owner of the animal.
If you find an injured animal you are encouraged to keep your distance, even the nicest and most docile animal can become aggressive or bite people if it is in pain. When a sick or injured animal is picked up in most cases it will be taken back to the animal shelter to be evaluated. In some circumstances it may be necessary to euthanize an injured animal due to the severity of its injuries. If the animal is wearing tags then every effort will be made to contact the owner so they can come pick it up and take it to a vet.