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Every congregation gladly welcomes visitors and goes out of its way to make them feel at home. Unfortunately, many churches may be unintentionally drawing a whole different set of guests that most certainly are not welcome—visitors with wings, claws, teeth, and fur.

Sooner or later, most churches will have to deal with wildlife. Many churches mistakenly think animal control is a minor matter. Not so, according to Stephen Vantassel, project coordinator for the University of Nebraska—Lincoln's Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management.

Vantassel says there are three main reasons wildlife control deserves constant attention: health, public relations, and property damage.

"There are a number of things that churches can do to prevent and reduce the likelihood of ever having a problem like this. But it does take effort and it takes people being aware of issues that are occurring with their building," Vantassel says. "The prevention here is worth a pound of cure, in a very big way."

Concerning health, Vantassel notes that things like bird or bat droppings can cause such illnesses as histoplasmosis, a fungal infection that mimics flu symptoms and can eventually cause death. Allowing droppings to build up over a period of time around air-conditioning intake vents can allow histoplasmosis to spread throughout the church.

Church kitchens and food service areas are other obvious examples of why sanitation and the prevention of allowing rodents and other animals is critical to the well-being of a church.

Wildlife problems also present potential public relations challenges for churches. At the very least, churches do not want a reputation in the community that their buildings are dirty or unsightly because of wildlife droppings or visible damage. Public perception is a powerful reason to take proactive measures to keep wildlife out.

Besides the unwelcoming appearance of pigeons on the roof or other telltale signs of animal presence, Vantassel says the continuing cultural shift toward animal protection, most visible through animal rights protest groups, is another reason churches need to plan.

"[Cruelty to animals] is the last thing you want to be a stumbling block for non-believers," he says. "Plus, to have the church janitor hit an animal over the head with a shovel might make the news."

By far the biggest problem with wildlife and churches is the property damage that occurs when rodents and other wildlife have the run of the building. Squirrels love to gnaw, as do all rodents. Inside walls, they can chew through wires, creating potential fire hazards; burrow through insulation, destroying its effectiveness; and damage wood with their incessant gnawing.

Other species, such as beavers and raccoons, cause a variety of problems as well. Beavers can cause extensive damage to trees and create flooding problems, and the cost of replacing trees, flooded basements, wells, septic tanks and roads can range from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Raccoons break into buildings and nest in attics. The resulting building damage can range from $200 to several hundred dollars, including the expense of the loss of insulation capacity and the cleaning of raccoon waste.

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