A Raccoon in the attack of a Dearborn Heights home.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS – The summer season always tends to bring along a handful of unwanted animals. In Dearborn Heights, however, skunks, raccoons and possums have dominated certain neighborhoods like never before. 

Residents claim pests are taking over their streets and that lack of services from the city only contributes to the nuisance.

Local resident Pam Farhan, who lives on Ardmore Park in the northern section of Dearborn Heights, said she noticed that pests began dominating her neighborhood as soon as spring rolled around. 

“I hear raccoons running back and forth on top of my roof,” Farhan said. “I called the city three different times about getting my front tree cut. These animals are jumping off of the tree branches and onto the roof.”

The city has yet to respond to Farhan’s request. Instead, someone told her the city was backed up with several requests from residents who needed their trees trimmed. 

Farhan said city employees were seen trimming her neighbor’s tree earlier this week, but they never bothered to resolve her personal inquiry. 

Such pests appear to be a common occurrence in Farhan’s neighborhood. Residents there seem to agree that overgrown trees have turned the neighborhood pitch black in the evening hours, making it a stomping ground for the unwanted animals. 

The unmistakable odor of skunks can also be distinguished at times. Farhan said that at one point this summer, an entire family lived under the deck in her backyard. 

“There were a few times when I knew there was skunks in my yard because I kept smelling them,” Farhan said. “Then one time I went out into the yard and I saw a mother skunk go under the deck and the baby skunk coming out.”

Farhan said she never bothered calling the city’s Ordinance and Animal Control Department because it charges residents who want an animal picked up. Residents who have communicated with the department were also told they had to purchase a cage for the pest in order for it to be removed from the property. 

“That’s one of the main reasons why I didn’t call animal control,” Farhan said.  “With me paying my taxes, the city should be doing more for us. These animals are damaging people’s roofs and decks and it will make the values of the houses go down. There will be residents who want to move out because nothing is being done by the city.”

Resident Mary Beydoun temporarily moved out of her home after she discovered that raccoons were living in her attic. To make matters worse, one of the raccoons was pregnant and gave birth in the home.

Beydoun said she had to call a private company to resolve the matter, because the city was being unresponsive. The company spent an entire week setting up traps and catching all of the raccoons, which had a habit of coming in and out of her home. 

Beydoun said her neighbors were partly to blame for the overpopulation of pests in the neighborhood because they were feeding the raccoons and other stray animals. 

“The lack of response with the city is what is most upsetting,” she said. “I have made several attempts to voice my concerns, but I got no response. The city services are abysmal; and it’s not just animals in the streets and in the neighborhoods. Snow is never plowed and residents who are not complying with ordinances are never ticketed as well.”

Pests are also visible along main roads and in neighborhood streets. Resident Lola Elzein said she attempted to contact the Ordinance and Animal Control Department several times when she was trying to report a dead skunk in the middle of the road. 

She added that the smell was so bad it dominated the entire street, making it unbearable to step outside. 

“They didn’t come out for days,” Elzein said. “When I lived in Dearborn, animal control would be out in a matter of minutes to take care of the situation. In Dearborn Heights, you’ll be lucky if they come that week.”

Elzein noted that she’s also wary of her child playing outside due to the overpopulation of pests in the neighborhood in recent months. 

“These animals aren’t scared of anything,” she said. “They can easily come in contact with kids playing in the yard; and I’m seeing them come around at all times of the day.” 

The Ordinance and Animal Control Department did not respond to repeated messages from The Arab American News. 

In addition, finding information about animal control of the city’s website can be a challenge. Ordinance and Animal Control is not listed among the city’s departments. Instead, residents have to click on “citizen concerns and requests”, then scroll down and click on “other—animal control”, which opens a form for residents to fill out.