Vertebrate animal catcher Chris Keenum shows a coyote pelt to the l07 children in attendance for an “Animals That Dig” presentation at the William Bradford Huie Library of Hartselle summer reading program on Wednesday. | Clif Knight

Keenum gives kids look at ‘Animals That Dig’

The 107 children that attended Wednesday’s summer reading program at the William Bradford Huie Library of Hartselle received a firsthand look at the wild critters that roam the residential neighborhoods of the city searching for food.

Chris Keenum, a vertebrate animal catcher, used pelts and skulls of some of the “Animals That Dig” to illustrate an 18-year experience of catching them in line with a business he and his wife Allyson operate.

“We catch and release or dispose of just about any kind of vertebrate you can think of, from squirrels and raccoons to coyotes and snakes,” Keenum told his audience. “Most of the these animals are native and can be seen in your backyard looking for cat or bird food or table scraps.

“They’ll eat anything and it’s not a good idea to leave food outside where they can reach it,” he pointed out.

He told the story of a Madison County family whose home was overrun by raccoons after they began feeding one of them cat food.

“At first, it was just one and the family got a kick watching it through a siding glass door pick up the food with its paws and eat it,” Keenum said. “Other raccoons found out about the food and pretty soon there were three, five and a yard full of raccoons, swimming in the family pool and begging for food.”