Nuisance Wildlife

Okay, we get it. Sometimes wild animals can REALLY get on our nerves! Did you know there are a lot of ways to prevent urban wildlife problems before they even start?

Common Wildlife Issues

Prevention

Most of the common wildlife/human conflicts are actually very easily prevented or resolved. In fact, just trapping and removing the animals does not solve the problem, it only creates a vacancy for new animals to move in. Here are some hints and tips for avoiding some of the main issues caused by urban wildlife:

Garbage can shenanigans
- We humans are rather wasteful. Every day, we throw out plenty of food that tempts our urban wildlife beyond all reason. To prevent "nuisance" species from making a mess of your litter, make sure your trash can has a locking lid and is heavy enough to avoid being tipped over.
- Not having a locking lid is like displaying a buffet of gourmet food in front of people who are starving and telling them they can't eat it....they're not going to listen!
Skunk nurseries under the porch...whew, that stinks!
- Any amount of space under a structure invites animals like skunks and woodchucks to use that space as their very own birthing center.
- Prevent nurseries from even being started by putting lattice or fencing around the area between your deck and the ground. You can also use heavy rocks or dense shrubs around sheds to prevent woodchucks from burrowing under the foundation. As a bonus, it also looks pretty!

Wildlife stealing your cat's food
- If you feed outdoor cats, putting the cat food away at night and then back out in the morning is a GREAT way to stop attracting animals like skunks, raccoons, and opossums to your yard. Your cats can still enjoy their free meal and not risk sharing diseases with the local wildlife at the same time.
Animals nesting in your attic
- First things first, you have to figure out where they are getting in. If the animal in your attic is a bat, wait until dusk, stand outside of your home, and watch where they leave from. Once they're gone, be ready to patch the space up so that when they come back around dawn, they have to move on.
- For larger animals like squirrels and raccoons, once you pinpoint where they are coming in at, trap them, release them just outside of your home (click HERE to learn why you can't take them somewhere else), and patch up the hole. Just removing the animal will never work as more animals will continue to use your attic as a den if the "entrance" isn't fixed.
- Always make sure ALL OF THE ANIMALS ARE OUT OF YOUR ATTIC BEFORE CLOSING IT UP! Otherwise, you can end up with a very dead and very stinky problem.
For other tips and tricks for dealing with urban wildlife, give us a call at 419-684-9539.

Nuisance Wildlife Laws

State Law

Ah, yes...laws. While animals covered under nuisance wildlife laws are legally allowed to be trapped and removed, there are some state regulations to keep in mind if you want to avoid hefty fines.

Back to the Wild is a licensed rehabilitation and education center, NOT nuisance trappers. We are not legally allowed to do anything with nuisance wildlife or their babies. If you trap an animal to remove from your property, we are not allowed to take it or its offspring.
Can't you just take care of it yourself?
- All rabies vector species trapped as a nuisance must be released right where they were trapped or euthanized. The law sounds harsh but it protects other animals in new areas from catching new diseases. When you move an animal, you also move its diseases.
- What should you do? If you cannot trap and euthanize the animal yourself, the only other option is to contact your local nuisance trapper (you can find numbers for them on the ODNR website). This can be costly as most trappers are for-profit businesses.
- How can you avoid paying? The best method is prevention! Using the methods we mentioned HERE, you can often prevent problems with wildlife before they ever occur.

Still have questions? Didn't find the answers you were looking for here? Just want to chat with some awesome wildlife people? We don't blame you, we want to chat with us too!

We are more than happy to help you with whatever wildlife questions you have. Don't hesitate to give our trained staff a call at 419-684-9539. For our calling hours, click HERE.