Wildlife removal costs $300-$1,500 but insurance covers damage, not the actual removal

When raccoons, squirrels, or bats enter a home's attic, the homeowner faces two separate costs: removing the animals ($300-$1,500 depending on species and complexity) and repairing the damage (torn ductwork, shredded insulation, contaminated areas, chewed wiring -- often $2,000-$10,000). Homeowners insurance typically covers damage caused by non-rodent wildlife like raccoons and bats, but explicitly excludes the cost of trapping, removing, and cleaning up after the animals. Worse, insurers classify squirrel damage as 'rodent damage' and exclude it entirely -- even when squirrels cause the exact same destruction as raccoons (chewed wires, torn insulation, structural entry holes). If the damage accumulated gradually (e.g., a nest built over weeks), insurers reclassify it as 'deferred maintenance' and deny the claim altogether. The homeowner ends up paying for removal out of pocket, filing an insurance claim for damage, and then having the claim denied because the adjuster argues the damage was not 'sudden.' The structural reason this persists is that insurance policies were written decades ago around farm animal and vehicle-deer collision scenarios, not urban wildlife intrusion, and insurers have no competitive pressure to modernize these exclusions.