related calls lead to Bexar County special team
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office formed a special enforcement team to tackle the rise in animal-related calls occurring in the city. One minute the three-person team responds to a call of a monkey biting a child to a loose cow roaming a neighborhood, BCSO Sheriff Javier Salazar told MySA on Wednesday, November 13.
Conversations about forming a specialized animal team began in 2021 after the BCSO seized a couple of tigers in San Antonio. Salazar said they assembled a team of deputies who've handled animal cases in the past, an animal cruelty investigator, an estray deputy and a deputy who has responded to bite cases.
Most recently, the BCSO brought the team back together to investigate the influx of animal-related calls, more specifically in dog bite cases. In October, the BCSO responded to a dog attack that killed a 1-year-old boy at a home on the Northeast Side.
"I think there's a couple of factors at play," Salazar said about the increase in animal-related calls. "Bexar County is growing exponentially every single day so we're getting more people in. But, also, I think we're increasing awareness. Dog bites are certainly a hot-button topic for various and obvious reasons as we've had a couple of fatalities as a result of them, so I think people are now more apt to call on a dog bite, which is a good thing."
Animal calls rise in Bexar County
In 2020, BCSO received a total of 247 animal bite calls for service. It has since steadily increased every year, with 280 calls in 2021, 298 in 2022 and 367 in 2023. For this year, the animal bite calls are on track to beat the numbers in 2023 with 304 calls, Salazar said.
The same trend follows for animal-related calls, with 5,742 in 2020, 5,901 in 2021, 6,439 in 2022 and 6902 in 2023. The calls range from a dog bite to animal cruelty to loose cattle. In October, the team checked out "very thin" longhorns found near Six Flags Fiesta Texas. It was deemed one of the thin longhorns, that looked the most malnourished, was due to its age, not because of neglect.
"They've got to be good with animals," Salazar said of his team. "They can recognize signs of a healthy animal versus an unhealthy animal. They can look at an animal and see if it's skinny because it has cancer or if is it skinny because they're not feeding it.
Before the team was formed, patrol officers responded to the calls. Salazar said forming the team helps take the workload off patrol officers, freeing them up to respond to calls regarding organized crime or domestic violence – two issues Salazar said he aims to focus on after being re-elected for his third time in office.
Special enforcement team
No funds were allocated to form the team as the deputies were already part of BCSO, Salazar said. The team will begin to track animal-related calls more effectively. If the numbers continue to rise, Salazar said they will share it with the Bexar County Commissioners Court at the next budget meeting to see if more deputies are needed.
The team responds to calls in the county and assists the city when needed. Most recently, the team received a call about a big cat sighting on the far Northwest Side of San Antonio. The BCSO said a resident reported seeing what appeared to be a big long-tailed dark-colored cat behind her home on October 29.
Officials searched the area near Bandera and Scenic Loop Road and conducted through the greenbelt behind the home. However, they couldn't locate the reported large cat. Salazar said the team set up traps but removed them after a couple of days. He said they didn't want to catch wildlife that wasn't the intended target.
"We did remind residents to call us if they see something. Sometimes wildlife does exist in places we don't expect it to," Salazar said. "... Bexar County residents anywhere can call us and let us know about animal bites or neglect or anything animal related, they can call us."
