Wildlife Control Brooklyn: Raccoon Removal in Marine Park, Canarsie & Brooklyn's Residential Edges

Raccoons in Brooklyn: An Urban Wildlife Challenge

Brooklyn's residential edges — the neighborhoods that border Marine Park, Jamaica Bay, Canarsie Park, and the borough's remaining wetlands and open spaces — have seen a significant increase in raccoon activity and human-wildlife conflict over the past decade. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are highly intelligent, adaptable omnivores that have proven extraordinarily successful at exploiting urban and suburban environments, and Brooklyn's combination of parks, waterways, residential density, and abundant food waste provides everything a raccoon population needs to thrive.

At Brooklyn NYC Pest Control, we provide humane, effective wildlife management services for Brooklyn homeowners and property managers dealing with raccoons and other urban wildlife. Our approach prioritizes exclusion and long-term prevention alongside removal, ensuring that the problem is addressed comprehensively rather than temporarily.

Where Brooklyn's Raccoon Population Concentrates

Marine Park and Canarsie: The extensive green space and wetland habitat of Marine Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and the surrounding Canarsie neighborhoods support a significant raccoon population. These areas provide natural denning habitat — hollow trees, dense vegetation, drainage structures — along with proximity to residential food waste. Residents of Canarsie and the streets surrounding Marine Park report raccoon encounters year-round, with activity peaking in late winter and spring when females with young kits are most active.

Greenwood Cemetery and Flatbush/Kensington area: Green-Wood Cemetery's 478 acres of mature woodland, open space, and undisturbed habitat in the heart of South Brooklyn supports raccoons and other wildlife that range into surrounding residential neighborhoods.

Prospect Park surrounding neighborhoods: Raccoons are year-round residents of Prospect Park and regularly range into the surrounding neighborhoods of Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, particularly at night when foraging for food in garbage cans and compost bins.

Common Wildlife Problems Brooklyn Residents Face

Attic access: Raccoons are persistent and physically powerful climbers that can force entry through damaged roof vents, deteriorated fascia boards, loose gable vents, and gaps at roof-wall junctions. Once in an attic, a mother raccoon may establish a den and raise a litter — creating extensive damage to insulation and posing health concerns from accumulated feces, which can harbor Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm).

Chimney entry: Brooklyn's brownstones and older row houses commonly have uncapped or deteriorated chimney structures that raccoons use as denning sites, particularly during the spring denning season.

Garden and yard damage: Raccoons are powerful diggers that roll back sod and tear up turf in search of grubs and earthworms. They raid vegetable gardens, compost bins, and fruit trees with impressive efficiency, and return to productive sites repeatedly.

Garbage disruption: Raccoons are notorious for tipping, opening, or dismantling garbage cans. This is one of the most common wildlife complaints across Brooklyn neighborhoods, and improper garbage storage — particularly by restaurants and multi-unit buildings — provides a reliable food source that concentrates raccoons in residential areas.

Structural damage: A determined raccoon can cause significant damage to roofing materials, soffits, fascia boards, and exterior cladding when accessing or exiting an entry point. The initial cost of excluding wildlife is invariably less than the accumulated cost of ignoring the problem.

Other Wildlife Species We Handle

While raccoons generate the most calls, Brooklyn NYC Pest Control also manages:

• Opossums: Common in Brooklyn's residential yards, particularly near Marine Park and Canarsie. Generally non-aggressive but can become defensive if cornered.

• Squirrels: Gray squirrels frequently enter attic spaces through gaps in rooflines, gnawing openings if initial access is restricted. A common problem in brownstones and attached homes throughout Brooklyn.

• Skunks: Present in parks and green spaces, occasionally denning under porches, sheds, and decks in residential neighborhoods near Marine Park and Canarsie.

• Pigeons and starlings: Urban birds create roost and nest sites on building ledges, rooftop HVAC equipment, and window air conditioner units. We provide bird exclusion using professional-grade deterrents.

Our Wildlife Management Approach

New York State wildlife regulations govern the trapping and relocation of many species. Brooklyn NYC Pest Control operates in full compliance with all applicable New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regulations for wildlife management.

Inspection: We conduct a thorough property inspection to identify all access points, assess the extent of wildlife activity, and determine the appropriate removal strategy.

Humane trapping: For active wildlife problems, we deploy humane live traps in strategic locations, monitoring them regularly. Captured animals are handled in compliance with state regulations.

Exclusion: We seal all identified entry points using heavy-gauge hardware cloth, galvanized metal flashing, and other wildlife-resistant materials. This is the most critical component of long-term wildlife management — without exclusion, removed animals are simply replaced by others.

Damage remediation guidance: We provide recommendations for repairing wildlife damage and restoring attic insulation, vent screens, and other affected components.

Preventive Measures for Brooklyn Residents

- Use wildlife-resistant garbage cans with locking lids, particularly if you're in a neighborhood bordering parkland

- Don't leave pet food outdoors overnight

- Harvest ripe fruit from garden trees promptly and pick up fallen fruit regularly

- Cap chimneys with a wildlife-resistant chimney cap

- Trim tree branches that overhang or touch the roofline of your home — these serve as wildlife access ramps

- Secure crawl space vents and foundation vents with heavy-gauge metal mesh

Call Brooklyn NYC Pest Control at (646) 862-7935 for humane, professional wildlife removal and exclusion services throughout Brooklyn.