To trap or not to trap, that is the question

A phone call I received today was a rather unique one. The woman had gone to her basement door last night to see what her dog was getting excited about and when she opened it a small creature streaked past her and into the basement. At some point this morning he had found his way upstairs and into a bathroom which is where she trapped it as she made her phone call for advice.

Normally we don’t recommend using the “answer to every problem” live-trap to solve conflicts between people and their wild neighbors. This situation proved difficult however, as the animal was clearly hiding in a room far from the nearest outdoor exit in a house with 2 large dogs.

We determined that the wayward creature was likely a weasel. The plan was to locate a very small live-trap baited with canned cat food and place it in the closed room. In these situations we always advise homeowners to do their best to locate the point of entry and close it if they can (in this case it was a coincidence involving a door so it was an easy solution) and then release the animal to a safe corner of their property. We’ll come back to this story in a moment.

The next call I received was from a woman who had a Virginia Opossum in a live-trap. She had successfully trapped and “relocated” 3 in the past week and wondered if there was something less time-consuming that could relieve her of the midnight garbage raiders. Our conversation was a helpful one; I explained to her that not only was relocating these animals a lot of work for her, but it was also not the best solution – nor legal! After our discussion, she had a number of recommendations that she was going to set out to implement. Because the animals were getting into the trash, other than putting straps, locks or bungee cords on the container, one option was for her to contact her waste disposal company to find out if she could exchange her current receptacle for a clean, new one that didn’t have such a strong odor, or barring that, taking the time to thoroughly clean the one she was using. She was also going to try leaving the lights on in the area the receptacles were kept to force any potential raiders to commit their crimes in the light. Because she was not providing any other food sources (neither her nor her immediate neighbors were feeding birds or other pets outdoors) these few tactics should do the trick.

Opossums are by nature nomadic and they generally only stay in one area if they consistently find food there. They are not picky when it comes to food, but if they can’t find enough they will move on to other areas where they can. Keeping up food and implementing small things that change the landscape that animals are used to or startle them when they least expect it are often all it takes to solve conflicts in a humane manner. Even if being humane isn’t your top priority (why are you reading this blog then?), the safety, hassle and legality of trapping and relocating animals should be.

The second woman thanked me for all of the information and I think that she will have a much better week now. Back to the first caller. Shortly after we talked she had gone to the bathroom to check on the status of her uninvited guest and brought with her a heavy bag and a piece of bologna. When she opened the door he was peering around a corner at her so she instinctively tossed the bologna into the bag and held it in the doorway in front of her. Surprisingly, he was hungry enough to be fooled with her behind the door and voluntarily walked right into the bag to enjoy his feast. She was able to safely bring him to the long grassy area in the back of her property and release him back to his home and duty of controlling the rodent population there.

Two different traps, two different reasons, and at least two happy endings. If you have a friend or a neighbor experiencing conflicts with their wild neighbors and considering using a trap to solve them, suggest that they give their nearest wildlife rehabilitator a call for advise that may be better for both them and the animals.

Spring Fever

Everyone here is gearing up for this exciting and busy time of year. One of the ways we do that is by hosting a Pancake Breakfast and Baby Shower for all of our friends and neighbors. So, if you want to help us help them and you also want to enjoy some great food, catch-up with friends and staff, visit with our educational ambassadors and more then join us:

Sunday, March 21st, 2010
8AM-1PM
Dousman/Ottawa Lions Club 231 Main Street Dousman (map link)

Nearly every one of us will be looking forward to fall by the end of June, but it’s March and right now everyone’s got baby fever. If you’ve never seen the winsome look of an infant gray squirrel, heard the *peep* of a mallard duckling, or watched young raccoons interact with each other, than you may not fully understand. The hundreds of past, present and future volunteers for the Wildlife In Need Center do though.

From April through September hundreds of orphaned wild animals will find their way to our doors. Our office staff and volunteers try to ensure that each of them gets the chance to be reunited with their families when possible, but even the best intentions aren’t always enough to make a reunion happen so many will still find their way here. One such situation has led us to the earliest admission of an infant gray squirrel to the Center ever recorded! Here’s a brief of the story:

A mother squirrel had found herself a cozy spot in the upper insulation near the ceiling of someone’s basement and when the homeowner went to investigate she ran and hid leaving her just-born litter behind. Volunteers from the Center gathered up the little ones and set a trap for mom. Once she was captured she was reunited with her new family and has been residing in an outdoor enclosure for the past few days. We hope that by the end of the week the homeowners will have been able to repair the area where she had gotten in and we will re-nest her and her family with a new nest-box to call home instead. These are always sensitive cases because if mom is too stressed or scared she won’t be able to properly care for her young and the results could be very sad, but the outlook is good for this little family and we hope to update you with how things go.

Striped Bandit?

There had been damage done by a wild animal to the caller’s property and they had decided to set a live-trap. On the first night they had successfully caught a skunk. They contacted the Center in the morning and wanted to know what to do with it.

The first thing to do in this situation is to cover up the trap with a heavy towel or tarp as it will help to keep the animal more calm and protect any bystanders from suffering the wrath of a scared skunk at the same time.

The second thing to do is to carry the trap to the most secluded point on THE SAME property and open it facing away from you. Because the skunk will be scared, especially being forced to wander out during the daylight, it may run as far and as fast as possible, or the trap may need to be left alone for several hours in order to give him time to slowly make his way to safety.

Why is this my only recommendation?
Because, regardless of the perceived issues any animal may be causing, they are almost always solved more effectively in other ways like eliminating any food sources.
Because it is a likely possibility you may trap a different individual or a different species altogether than the culprit you are actually after.
Because state rules prohibit trapping and releasing any wild animals on property that you do not own without explicit permission in addition to the regulated seasons and rules thereof for the trapping of various species. (contact your local Department of Natural Resources office or their website to learn more)
Because even when a trap is used in every legal way and a location for release is properly obtained, the chances of the animal surviving post-release are small. When an animal is relocated it has no idea where the best shelter or food sources are, and they may encounter other animals that have already claimed the territory and will often defend it with their lives.

Animals need certain things to survive and more often than not, the places they are found have those things. If you do a little research you may often discover simple steps you can implement that will help to ease your tensions with your wild neighbors. You can also check the living with wildlife page on our website for tips and suggestions. Most importantly, keep in mind that trapping and relocating animals in the spring and summer months not only puts the lives of that individual in danger, but also potentially their offspring who could starve to death if something happens to their parent.

To top it off, short discussion with someone about this skunk and the perceived issues it was causing revealed a compelling case of wrongful blame. Taking the time to do some research or talk with a wildlife rehabilitator, wildlife specialist or even your local humane society will often reveal things about the natural behaviors of animals that can rule out certain species from the usual suspects. Once you are armed with more information, the most cost-effective, humane, and effective long-term solutions are those that address the underlying problem. Over 70% of the cases we discuss regularly are solved by simply removing a food source or performing simple repairs. Other problems are solved easier than you think by just putting yourself in their shoes for a moment. We are humans, we are intelligent and we need to live in harmony with these creatures; it is possible and they provide us with a great number of benefits we would be unable to get elsewhere.