Quick reference — the whole hub on one page

The deadliest animal is a deer in the road

• •The most dangerous animal in Missouri is a deer in the road — and the single best thing you can do is DON'T SWERVE. Most serious injuries come from losing control or hitting something else. Brake firmly and stay in your lane.

Black bears (about 1,100)

• •Don't feed, don't approach, give space, and secure your attractants. Nearly every bad wildlife outcome traces back to food — a fed animal is a bold animal, and a bold animal usually ends up dead.

Mountain lions — no breeding population

• •more than 100 confirmed cases since 1994; fewer than 1% of reports have enough evidence to confirm.
• •Mountain lions are protected, but Missouri law lets a person kill one that is attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals, or threatening human safety. If that happens, the animal must be reported and surrendered to MDC.

Elk — give them room

• •Watch elk from your vehicle and give them 100 yards or more — even more during the fall rut (September–October) or when calves are present. Never feed them.

Snakes — five venomous of about 47, all protected

• •Treat every venomous bite as an emergency, even if it feels mild at first.
• •Call 911 or go to the emergency room. Keep the bitten limb still, in a neutral, comfortable position at or below heart level. Take off rings and tight clothing. Don't cut it, suck it, ice it, wrap it tightly, or use a tourniquet — and don't try to catch the snake. You can call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for guidance.

Ticks — Missouri is a high-risk state

• •See a doctor if you get a fever, severe headache, body aches, nausea, or a rash after a tick bite or time in tick habitat — and mention the exposure. Bacterial tick diseases respond well to antibiotics, and starting early matters.

Spiders — recluse and widow

• •Light-to-dark brown, ¼–½ inch body, a violin shape behind the head, and six eyes (not eight). A shy nighttime hunter that hides in quiet spots — closets, boxes, attics, shoes, stored clothes. Common throughout Missouri. A bite may not hurt at first but can become a painful, slow-healing sore.
• •Shiny black with a red hourglass underneath. Builds a messy, tangled web in sheltered spots — woodpiles, sheds, meter boxes. A bite brings intense pain, cramping, and muscle aches.

Rabies — bats and skunks

• •If you're bitten, scratched, or get an animal's saliva in a wound or your eyes, nose, or mouth: wash and flush the area with soap and warm water for 10–15 minutes, then seek medical attention right away and call your county health department. Don't wait. Keep your pets' rabies shots current.
• •If contact was possible — someone was asleep, it was in a child's room, or it was near someone who can't reliably say they weren't bitten — treat it as a possible exposure. Bat bites can be tiny and easy to miss. If you can contain the bat safely (never with bare hands), do so for testing, and call your county health department for guidance.

Found a baby animal that seems alone

• •Leave it, unless it's clearly injured or you know the parent is dead. Its mother is almost always nearby. Call a permitted wildlife rehabilitator first.

Nuisance animals — your own land only

• •An animal taken under the damage rule may not be used in any way, must be reported to MDC within 24 hours, and must then be disposed of as MDC instructs.
• •This does not override city firearm laws, trapping ordinances, federal migratory-bird law, or local animal-control rules — check those first.
• •Moving a trapped animal sounds kind, but it often spreads disease, leaves young behind, or drops the animal into territory that's already occupied, where it may die. It's also often illegal or restricted. Exclusion and prevention beat relocation.