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| Living with Wildlife From time to time, if we are lucky enough, wildlife makes its way into our lives. For some people this can be a joy and for others a disaster. If we remember a few simple rules, life can be much easier for humans and wildlife alike. Tips for Handling Human-Wildlife Conflicts Do not feed wildlife. Feeding wildlife is generally not a good idea. It's not good for them or you. Animals lose some of their "wildness" when they come to depend on artificial sources of food. It teaches them to associate food with humans and human buildings. Your neighbor might not be so understanding or forgiving. Also, animals need natural sources of food to maintain a healthy diet; many foods not in their natural diet can harm them (e.g., peanuts can cause bone problems for some species). On the other hand, wildlife benefits from having access to a clean water supply for drinking and bathing. Keep the containers clean and change water often to prevent disease. Feed your pet(s) indoors and refrain from leaving pet food outdoors. Feeding your pet(s) indoors ensures that no scraps will be left behind to attract wild animals. The odor remaining on an empty food dish can even attract wildlife. Restrict access to buildings by keeping doors or windows closed or screened. Leaving garages, storage sheds, attics, and basements open can be risky for wildlife that can damage contents or become trapped. Restrict access to these areas by keeping doors and windows screened or closed (including pet doors), particularly at night. Check for animal nests before cleaning the chimney or eaves or before trimming or felling trees. Cleaning, landscaping, gardening, or even mowing the lawn shouldn't have to result in displaced or injured baby birds or mammals. Check for nests first, and if someone else does your chimney cleaning or yard work for you, have them check too. Try to avoid disturbing nests. In most cases, the wildlife babies will grow up quickly and leave the nest. However, if you have concerns about this, or want to humanely encourage the mother to relocate them sooner, call a wildlife rehabilitator. After ensuring that the chimney is unoccupied, install an approved screen or cap on it to prevent further access and flying sparks. Some birds will fly at their reflection in windows and hurt themselves. To prevent this, a mesh pattern of vertical and horizontal tape or fabric strips or a light covering of soap (such as Bon Ami™) can be placed over the windows to alert the birds. Wonder what to do if a bird does hit the window? Bird rehabilitators often suggest cautiously placing it on some paper towels (for traction) in a paper bag or small box with a lid (with a few small holes already punched near the top) and then placing the bag or box in a quiet, dark, warm place where it can't fall (and is not extremely hot or sunny). After an hour or so, a careful peek may show that the bird has revived; at that point, the bag or box can be taken outside and opened for the bird to fly away. If the bird has not recovered, call a wildlife rehabilitator. Use wildlife proof garbage containers or barrels. Place garbage out the morning it is to be picked up. Wildlife can find garbage left out at night to be an easy food source. The same is true for bird feeders and BBQ grills. Keep them inside at night to avoid tempting wildlife with a midnight snack. Raiding garbage is a bad habit for wildlife and can result in the animals being destroyed. Don't worry if a wild mammal starts digging a den near your home. Just place a small amount of ammonia on a rag and place in the hole. Wild animals generally don't want to move into a "smelly" neighborhood and decide to move on. Killing the wild animal rarely solves the problem since another animal will move into the abandoned habitat; plus, if poison is used, non-target animals (e.g., pets and raptors) are often injured by, or die from secondary poisoning. Has a hole in the attic or roof become a door? Occasionally people find a hole in the attic that has allowed raccoons or squirrels to take up residence. Make the attic a less desirable residence: place some rags with ammonia in strategic places; put a loud radio turned on talk or heavy rock music in the attic; keep the lights bright. After a couple of days of this, at a time when the wild resident is out, "a one-way door" can be placed over the hole. It is critical to first check to make sure all babies are out before placing a one-way door. Wildlife rehabilitators can provide information on when different species have their young. Again, poisoning or live-trapping and relocating rarely solves the problem for the reasons mentioned above. Remember that woodpeckers, nuthatches, and flickers make their nests in dead wood. Since people have often removed many of the dead trees, these birds improvise by using buildings (often a large source of dead wood). They may be discouraged by hanging metallic strips or plastic bread bags that twist in the wind near the selected site. Another alternative is to place the appropriately sized birdhouse over the proposed "excavation site" and invite them to join the neighborhood. Any of these techniques should be used before eggs are laid. Note: if there are many small holes instead of a potential nest hole, the birds may be feeding on insects infesting the structure - a different problem! |
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