Lion Lights

Check out this amazing video about a young man's invention that saved his family's cattle and lions' lives!

Here's his Ted Talk:

Mother of Five Evicted

When Duane and Rebecca of Wildlife Emergency Services aren't out rescuing animals on their own time and dime, they're busy helping resolve human-wildlife conflicts - which helps support their charitable endeavors.

One recent job involved a mother raccoon - a mother of five, that took up residency in the space between the bathtub and walls of a home in Freedom, CA.

There was no way to reach the babies, except through the walls. Duane drilled a couple of holes in the drywall to gain access to both sides of the tub, and encouraged the mom to move on. Once she was under the house and blocked from re-entering the den, he pulled out the kits.

The babies were placed in a large cardboard box insulated with balled-up newspaper, and the box was set right by the main access to under the house - the one the mother raccoon used nightly.

There, Duane installed a one-way door to allow the raccoon to get out, but prevented her from re-entering.

Check out the video of the eviction process:

That night, the family watched as the mother raccoon came for each of her babies, and carried them off to an alternate den site.

Raccoons are amazing creatures. If you haven't seen this PBS program, Raccoon Nation, be sure to. It will open your eyes to the unique and amazing world of the raccoon!

Raccoon Evicted

A mother of four was evicted from her home in Santa Cruz, CA, yesterday.

The raccoon mother had been observed under a house near Twin Lakes State Beach, in Santa Cruz.

After donning protective clothing, Rebecca entered the crawlspace where the mother had been seen. She found the nest, cautiously gathered the babies into a sack, and shuttled them out. They were placed in a box insulated with newspaper to keep them warm.

Next, Duane attempted to chase the mother out from under the building. It worked!



After exiting, the mother raccoon stayed nearby, hiding under the deck. Cries from her babies were used to draw her to the reunion box.

One of the cubs was placed out in the open for her to retrieve - she quickly gathered up the crying infant and carried it off to another den site.

The remaining three babies were left inside the reunion box and set near where the raccoon had been entering.

By early evening she had reclaimed all but one, then, sometime during the night she came back for the last one. Success.

We want to thank the homeowners for calling Humane Pest Control and for allowing us to solve their wildlife problem safely and humanely.

Check out the video.

Gulls

Duane Titus mounts a bird deterrent on a rooftop to discourage gulls.

This week, Duane installed some devices on a rooftop in Pacific Grove to deter gulls from loafing and nesting there. 

When he first climbed onto the roof, an adult Western gull landed on the chimney and watched.

Gulls are very intelligent birds and have adapted well to urban environments. Check out THIS article on herring gulls in the UK.

Gull standing next to plastic owl meant to scare them off.

The Wildlife Intrusion Delusion

It's that time of year, again. We're just a few weeks away from the birthing season for urban wildlife, like squirrels, skunks and raccoons. 

Before it's too late, homeowners should have one last look around their property for signs of unwanted guests, because, once babies arrive, getting rid of the animals becomes much more difficult. Not impossible, just a lot more work!

Baby raccoons in a reunion box waiting for their mother.

Signs of an intrusion include ripped siding, pulled back screens, missing vents, and holes leading under a structure's foundation.

If openings are found, residents should not seal up the gaps, as this risks entombing animals inside, but instead, contact a professional company that will focus, not on the animals, but their access points.

The animals are not the problem, they are a symptom.

The real problem is the reason the animals have invaded, which is either food, shelter, or both. When we take these things away, the animals leave.

There will always be squirrels, skunks, opossum, raccoon and coyote residing in or near populated areas.

That's why trapping and killing wild animals is not a long-term solution.

Trapping is an outdated practice that removes a few individual animals, but does nothing to permanently solve the problem.

Even if they were all eradicated at once, more would come, as the urban landscape is a niche - a modern ecosystem that can support a number of wild creatures, and therein lies the key - how many?

Urban wildlife populations can be controlled sustainably by limiting their access to food and shelter. For example, shoring up holes in buildings, making sure garbage bins are shut, and that no pet food is left outside.

For those with small pets or livestock, their enclosures must be built, not to keep them inside, but designed to keep predators out.

If communities would make a concerted effort to do these things, they would surely see a reduction in wildlife conflicts. Trapping, though, is not the answer, for many reasons.

In California, relocating trapped wildlife is prohibited. Relocation spreads disease among wild populations, and research has shown that many relocated animals meet their demise as they try to return home.

In California, then, legally trapped nuisance wild animals must be released on site or destroyed.

Lethal control will be futile, though, and in some cases - like with coyotes, it can cause a species to have greater and larger litters.

What is effective in protecting people, their pets and their property, is working with resident animals to solve specific problems permanently.

Sustainable methods include eviction and exclusion from structures, aversion systems, and use of non-harmful repellants.

In and around the Bay Area there are only a handful or service providers, specializing in non-lethal wildlife control, including A Wildlife Exclusion Service, serving Sonoma and Napa counties, WildCare Solutions in Marin, and Humane Pest Control, serving the Peninsula and the East Bay, south, including Monterey County and portions of Los Angeles.

These businesses can be contacted directly or through our California wildlife referral hotline at 1-866-WILD-911, extension 2.

In the meantime, for residents who locate a breach in their home, like a broken subfloor vent, we have a simple method to confirm the presence of a nocturnal animal and a trick to getting them to move on. Give us a call at 855-548-6263 for a visit or over-the-phone consultation to receive this information.

Please note, in California, anyone trapping 'nuisance' wildlife must comply with applicable local and state regulations. Traps must bear a number or identifying mark registered with the Department of Fish and Wildlife (Title 14 CCR Section 465.5 f 1). A person proposing to set a trap within 150 yards of a habitable dwelling (other than their own), must first acquire written consent of those surrounding homeowners (Title 14 CCR Section 465.5 g 3). Traps must be inspected and animals removed at least once in 24 hours. 

It is not enough that someone is annoyed with wildlife on their property, they must show damage to crops or property before fur-bearers or non-game mammals may be taken under Fish and Wildlife Code 4152, and then, only the animal(s) causing the damage may be taken - non-target animals that are inadvertently trapped must be released.

Trapping is not the answer!

Bat Exclusion

On March 3rd, Duane and I started a bat exclusion job. It was a big job, so we took it a section at a time.

First, Duane patched a few possible entry points inside the home, then we focused on the back porch, patching holes and installing exclusion devices.

We had to get a bit creative because we were working with rounded surfaces. 

I configured a couple of cone shaped funnels that seemed to do the job - the bats came out at night and couldn't get back inside.







Thankfully, we're working for wonderful people who appreciated their resident bats, just not inside their house. They were very willing, though, to let the bats have their own home. 

Duane installed a large bat house purchased from HouseForBats.com - very well constructed and built using specifications set by Bat Conservation International.








On our next visit we removed the exclusion devices and patched the hole, permanently sealing the entrances. Check out the before and after shots below.

Before.

After.

Duane started work on the front of the house, patching a few holes near the roof and on the front porch, and installing exclusion cones.

Squirrel Family Evicted

Duane had to get really creative with this one. After making sure all other entrances were sealed, he installed a tiny one-way door. It worked! Squirrel family evicted. Success!