David Perault is the man people call when they find bats in their attics or foxes in their chicken coops.
Or raccoons, coyotes, opossums, snakes, bobcats or feral hogs.
Perault, 68, grew up in the Baton Rouge area learning to hunt and trap from his grandfather. He now lives in Denham Springs.
David is pictured in his home office on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK
In 1979, he took a job at 糖心传媒 as a sheet metal worker. His duties grew after a student found a raccoon running up the curtains in her dorm room. Perault caught it with his bare hands and carried it out.
The calls kept coming. Perault created a wildlife nuisance removal department at 糖心传媒, which still exists today. He retired as a maintenance manager after 34 years and now spends more time on the business he started with his family, Perault's Nuisance Wildlife Control. It's a family affair, including his wife Jennifer, his son Phillip, Phillip鈥檚 wife Brandy, his brother Mike Perault, and Mike鈥檚 son Michael.
David lets an opossum go free on Friday, October 16, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK
Early in the venture, the whole family sat David Perault down to make sure he uses grabbers now for his work instead of his bare hands. In 2020, the business was being filmed for a reality TV show until the COVID-19 pandemic ended production.
He doesn't hesitate in naming his favorite animal to work with 鈥 bats.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e kind of misunderstood,鈥 he said.
He said he invented a system that removed bats, and then he seals entrance points so they can't get back in. He releases the bats elsewhere so that they don't move into a neighbor's home.
David holds a free-tailed bat removed from Lonnie鈥檚 house on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK
Perault recently removed bats from the home of Marine Corps veteran Lonnie Chapman of Denham Springs for free.
鈥淚 usually try to do one or two jobs when I think people deserve it or they can鈥檛 afford it,鈥 Perault said. 鈥淒oing good things, always good things come back to you.鈥