Wildlife DO's and DON'Ts-
Vermont is known for it's vast, beautiful mountainous regions and of our thickly wooded areas, protected wetlands or forests, and lets not forget our sparkling lakes, rivers and streams. Most of our towns and cities are surrounded by these sparsely populated areas or sit on the outskirts of them. Thus, it is not uncommon to see wildlife that you would normally see in these rural settings, taking up residency or passing through our towns or cities, even in their most populated areas.
Many animals have learned to live in close proximity to humans, as we proceed to build and develop further into areas we never have before. Native species of wildlife in most cases are not a threat to us, and should be left alone unless they are causing nuisance problems such as moving into your attic, garage or cellars, were they can become destructive or cause damage to the home. In these cases, your local Animal Control Officer or a Wildlife Rehabilitator or a nuisance trapper could assist and provide advice to you on the best course of action. In most situations, these cases can be avoided by being proactive and taking preventative measures to not invite wildlife to take up residency in your home. Despite common belief, it is not necessarily abnormal to see wildlife out during the day. Animals in search of food, caring for their young, displaced from their previous home - looking for new ones, mating season or breeding season will be more apt to come out in daylight and may even come nearer to humans than normal.
In order to keep wildlife/human interactions to a minimum, we all need to follow some simple guidelines:
DO - Watch wildlife from a safe distance!! Wild animals are great! We are lucky that we can see them in our own backyards, in local parks and in many other areas. We encourage people to watch the wildlife, enjoy the beauty of nature. However, please do so from a safe distance. This will ensure that no humans or animals are ever injured. Educate children about wildlife and teach them to admire from a distance too.
DON'T - Leave pet food or uncovered garbage outside and don't purposely feed wildlife!! Any food left outside acts as a beacon for hungry wild animals. They will come to your yard to eat the food and will hang around your area, in some cases setting up permanent residency, hoping for more or feeling as if they have found a steady food source. They often end up making a home for themselves near this food source, either in an old shed, under a brush pile, or even in your attic, basement or garage, depending on the species. Bring all domestic pet food dishes inside, and keep your garbage tightly covered. No food or inviting smells means no wild animals thinking your yard is a restaurant. While some individuals encourage wildlife to come to their yards by purposely feeding them, they may be inadvertently attracting dangerous wildlife that is sick, injured and/or dangerous, such as Bear or rabid animals. This encourages animals to be dependant on humans for their food sources and teaches them to become lazy and they ultimately stop their normal search or scavenge naturally for food. In many cases these animals become too independent on humans for their food and once the source has been taken away, they become aggressive and/or die from starvation, as they have either forgotten how to search and what to search for food or they were of a generation whose mother taught them only how to eat from this human food source.
DO - Watch for strange wildlife behavior!! Every animal has its own behaviors and actions, some of which we might consider odd or not right, keep in mind, even the same species can act differently when comparing an urban setting instead of a rural setting. We should let wildlife behave in their natural way; however, we do need to watch for warning signs of disease. Rabies is a common concern. Raccoons, Skunks, Foxes and Bats are all rabies vectors. Rabies vector animals that are classified as the species most commonly seen or noted to carry rabies. While all warm-blooded animals can get rabies, most small animals do not get it because they would have to survive a bite or usually an attack from a rabid animal and then live long enough to incubate the virus to spread it to other warm blooded mammal, usually from another bite. While there are many other non-contagious diseases that cannot be transferred to humans but will mimic the same signs as rabies. Some of the strange behaviors to look for that may indicate a sick animal is; staggering, falling down, convulsing, seizures, breathing but non responsive, circling for extended periods, downed or acting extremely drunk. If you see such behavior in a wild animals, do not intervene yourself, contact your local Police Department, Animal Control Officer, Fish and Game Warden, Constable or Sheriff's Dept. You can also call the rabies hotline with questions at 1-800-4-RABIES. For more information about rabies or other wildlife diseases and behavior, contact the Rabies Hotline or see the Vermont Department of Health's website at http://www.state.vt.us/health/
Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife at http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/
DON'T - Touch or care for injured wild animals or babies!! If you have and injured animal or orphaned baby(s) animal in your yard, call your local Game Warden or Animal Control Officer, they can determine if the animal can be rehabilitated and brought to a Wildlife Rehabilitator. Wildlife rehabilitators have permits from the state to work with these infant wild animals. Without a permit, it is unlawful to own or possess any wild animal. Many animals are protected under Fish and Wildlife laws and caring for them could be a misdemeanor crime. Baby animals are often left alone while the adult searches for food. This does not mean they are abandoned. Observe the animals for a while to see if the adults come back before calling in anyone to assist Also, DO NOT TOUCH ANY BABY OR ADULT WILDLIFE, when you touch a baby or adult wild animal, it is often considered an exposure by the state health department and the Dept of Fish and Wildlife. More times than often for the safety of the person involved, the animal that you have handled, touched or came in contact with may have to be euthanized/destroyed in order to perform the test for rabies. It cannot be rehabilitated. So the over all consensus is, do not touch any wildlife, for your safety and the further well-being of this wild animal, call a licensed trained professional.
DO - Keep your pets safe!! While most wild animals would normally not attack a household pet, occasionally hunger or disease will drive one to do so. Small cats, particularly very young or old, left outside unattended or unsupervised, or even very small dogs, can be at a risk of injury or death from a fox, fisher cat or coyote, even a fenced in yard is not immune to the occassional wild animal going over or digging under it. The solution? Keep them inside and accompany them when they do have to be outside. They will be a lot happier inside with their family, than outside without them. Don't allow your pet to roam, off leash or unattended or out of your line of sight, even in a rural area or settings, where you may feel they are safe to roam freely, clear of the dangers of the roadway, cars or other dogs and humans, they can easily come into contact with wildlife that may be sick, or rabid and thus become exposed, which puts everyone at risk, regardless of your pets vaccination status. Keep your animal vaccines current, for the obvious reasons for the safety of your pet but the safety of your family, friends and neighbors as well.
|