Key points
- Most dead animals in pools do not pose a health risk to swimmers, with the exception of dead raccoons.
- If you find a dead animal in the pool, you can follow the removal and disinfection steps on this webpage to rid your pool of any potential germs.
![Man with a hat holding a pool net over a pool.](/healthy-swimming/media/images/GettyImages1326781392.jpg)
Overview
Many types of domestic and wild animals — including skunks, birds, mice, gophers, rats, snakes, frogs, and bats — can be found dead in pools. Most dead animals in pools do not pose a health risk to swimmers. However, dead raccoons in pools can pose a health risk. This is because raccoons might be infected with a worm called Baylisascaris, which can be spread to humans.
Steps to take
If you find a dead animal in the pool, follow these steps to remove the animal and disinfect the water:
- Close the pool to swimmers.
- Put on disposable gloves.
- Use a net or bucket to remove the dead animal from the pool.
- Double bag the animal in plastic garbage bags.
- Clean off any debris or dirt from the item used to remove the dead animal.
- Remove gloves and place them in the garbage bags.
- Close the garbage bags and place them in a sealed trash can to help keep wild animals away from the dead animal.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately.
- Raise the free chlorine concentration to, or maintain it at, 2 parts per million (ppm); maintain the pH levels at 7.5 or less; keep the temperature at 77°F (25°C) or higher. The free chlorine and pH should remain at these levels for 30 minutes.
- Confirm that the filtration system is operating properly during this time.
- Disinfect the item used to remove the dead animal by immersing it in the pool during the 30 minute disinfection time.