If you are having trouble with wayward
wildlife, help is just a phone call away. The Connecticut
office of The Fund for Animals offers a convenient 24-hour
"Urban Wildlife Hotline" with humane solutions to common
problems such as what to do about skunks under the deck,
raccoon families in the chimney, or seemingly abandoned
baby rabbits.
Spring is the busiest time of year for human/wildlife
conflicts, as mother animals are looking for places to raise
their dependent young. "During this time of year we
especially get lots of calls when people find baby animals
after cutting down hollow trees," says Laura Simon, Urban
Wildlife Director for The Fund for Animals. "They don't realize
that those trees are virtual apartments for wild animals with
young, such as squirrels, raccoons, and woodpeckers."
According to The Fund, 85% of the hotline calls can be
solved simply by giving advice over the phone. "If people
have a raccoon in their attic or a skunk in their garage, we
offer some simple solutions to humanely encourage the
animal to leave," says Simon. And as for "abandoned" baby
animals, The Fund provides advice on whether the animals
really need assistance or are just waiting for "mom" to come
back.
For more technical problems, such as a beaver dam causing
flooding in your backyard, The Fund offers expert advice to
remedy the situation. "There are a variety of water flow
control devices available which provide a long-term solution
to flooding problems without even removing the beavers,"
adds Simon. There is even a video available showing how to
install the low-cost devices.
While many people believe that trapping is the only way to
get rid of "nuisance" wildlife, The Fund points out that it is
not only cruel but also ineffective. "Trapping does not solve
the problem," Simon says. "After the animals are removed,
others will soon take their place. Nature abhors a vacuum.
Another animal will quickly move in to take advantage of the
vacated habitat." The goal of The Fund for Animals' Urban
Wildlife Hotline is to provide progressive, cost-effective, and
socially acceptable ways to resolve wildlife conflicts,
according to Simon.
The Wildlife Hotline can be reached at 203-389-4411 any
time, 24 hours a day. More information on coexisting with
wildlife is available by clicking here.
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