EWW… WHAT’S THE DEAL?

Ethical Wildlife Wranglers (aka EWW) is a women-owned small business founded in Detroit, Michigan. We offer ethical wildlife management solutions that prioritize conservation and strive for a positive ecological impact. Think of your typical pest control company, and now make it really ethical and nerdy with heavy sprinkles of passion and care.

By examining the bioregion, structural status of the property, and activity found, we tailor an ideal Integrated Wildlife Management (IWM) program to resolve the causes of unwanted activity. We will inspect, service, educate, and leave you and your property better than how we found it (scouts honor).

We will never require year-long memberships or contracts and we prioritize ethics over profit, meaning we care about our impact on the environment, and also about you as our customer.

It’s easy for a business to say “We are eco-friendly!”, but we mean it. Please explore our website and get to know our community involvement. Every choice we make has an impact on this planet, and together, we get to choose what kind of impact we want to make.

MEET THE FOUNDER

Adriana Villasuso

Certified in Wildlife Behavior & Management
Pesticide Applicator License through MDARD
12 years experience working with wildlife
5 years experience in the pest control industry

My love for nature and wildlife goes way back. I really wanted to be Eliza Thornberry and Tarzan growing up. Jane Goodall was and will always be VIP in my eyes. RIP
Studied Exotic & Domestic Animal Care & Management at America's Teaching Zoo in Moorpark College, CA - aka Zoo School. Graduated in 2017.
Worked in the exotic animal care industry for 6 years and curated conservation based talks to audiences of all ages.
Worked in the pest control and wildlife removal industry for 4 years and, after witnessing the destructive, manipulative, and profit-driven methods used, I decided to create Ethical Wildlife Wranglers.

SHORT STORY

LONG STORY

In 2017 I received my degree in Exotic & Domestic Animal Care & Management at America’s Teaching Zoo in Moorpark College, CA. I call it Zoo School for short because it was quite literally a school inside the zoo.

During the ceremony, I thought back to my childhood years when I’d spend hours up in the trees attempting to live like Tarzan. I’d bring food with me and even attempted a couple naps between some branches (they were not comfortable, but I was persistent) I thought of the many meals I shared with our rescued stray cats (yes I did eat cat food. It seemed rude not to if I wanted to be a real friend to them). I thought of the compassion my mom and my sister had for animals and how much I learned from them.

To finalize the ceremony, my classmates and I stood together and made a vow led by one of our professors. Surrounded by our family, friends, mentors (which, by the way, my mentors were not all humans), with the distant mid-day roars of Ira, one of the lions, we vowed to care for our planet and protect the wildlife around us to the best of our abilities regardless of our career path. With my heart pounding inside my chest, I felt hope. I think about that moment almost daily.

Shortly after graduation, I began my career as a wildlife educator and had the honor of caring for a variety of wild animals (scroll down to view some of those adventures). My days were spent caring for the animals in the facility and presenting conservation based talks to audiences of all ages. Our main focus was to empower our audience with choices we make in our every day lives (usually holding a cool critter helped hold their focus) and showing them that, while we cannot change the entire world alone, we can make a difference in our community one small change at a time. As small as these changes might seem, there is a larger impact when we realize we are not alone.

Life took a turn in 2019 and I ended up working in the pest control and wildlife removal industry as it paid more than animal care and my options were very limited at the time. Ironic, I know.

Four years working in the pest control and wildlife removal industry showed me a different perspective. I witnessed companies portraying wildlife in a negative light, pushing extremist perspectives, and oftentimes incorrect information in order to create fear and gain high profits from people. Consequently, I observed the destructive and misleading impact that pest control and wildlife removal companies create by claiming to be “eco-friendly” and still damaging ecosystems by utilizing extensive amounts of toxic pesticides, subjecting wildlife to horrific deaths by means of rodenticides, improper wildlife re-location, and lethal unethical trapping methods.

After years trying to push for more ethical methods, my attempts were futile. Profit via deceit mattered the most to these companies regardless of the consequences. My last day working for a pest control and wildlife removal company was on September 2025. That day was instantly filled with opportunities and immense support from my family, friends, and wonderful customers I met during those years who kept encouraging me to create something of my own.

With the help of my community, Ethical Wildlife Wranglers came to life in 2026. It is the embodiment of my morals and values, my passion for conservation and ethics, the education I’ve had and continue to expand, the respect I hold for the people and wildlife I get to meet, and it is the vow I took to care and protect our planet.