Diligence, persistence needed to deal with nuisance wildlife

By Steve Bryant, Wildlife Biologist, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

Telephone calls to Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries district offices concerning nuisance wildlife are routine. Two reasons primarily contribute to calls for assistance. First, more people reside in semi-rural surroundings where wildlife lives. Second is the lack of understanding about wildlife. The average person is so accustomed to modern life that when an unexpected issue arises, they lack the experience to respond, prompting a call for help.

The best way to minimize unwanted wildlife problems is prevention. To alleviate problems with wildlife, learn the basics about animals to understand why they do things you dislike. Animals require four things to survive: food, water, cover and space. People tend to provide these necessities unknowingly. Animals want to meet their needs of food, water and cover as easily as possible. If you provide food for your pets outdoors, or include food scraps in your garbage can, you can expect to see a fox, raccoon, possum, free-ranging domestic pets, etc. looking for an easy meal. To reduce this probability, avoid the smell of food in trash containers by washing food wrappings before disposal and secure the lids on outside containers.

Animals learn from experience. For example, many years ago I set up a tent in a crowded campground and left the tent flap open. Upon returning sometime later, I discovered a skunk in my tent. A campground employee shooed it out like a house cat while I worried about a camping trip being ruined. He stated that skunks routinely forage in the campground for an easily available snack. Even though I had my food secured, the skunks had learned from past success to check in tents for food.

Water is normally quite abundant in Alabama, so it does not attract animals as food does. But in drought situations I have observed wildlife, especially snakes and salamanders, utilizing the condensation puddles from air conditioning units. Some mammals were likely getting a drink after dark also.

Cover is another commodity that attracts wild animals around human dwellings. Scrap piles, outbuildings, vehicles and even your house provide much better cover than ground burrows, hollow trees or leaf nests that wildlife normally use. Squirrels getting in attics or engine compartments of vehicles are common problems. This can occur downtown, in the suburbs or in the country due to the adaptability of squirrels. This is further complicated by municipal ordinances that prohibit the discharge of firearms in city limits. These ordinances allow the squirrel population to expand unimpeded except by road kills, birds of prey, and domestic cats or dogs if a leash law is not in effect. Cohabitating foxes, bobcats and coyotes are of little help in controlling squirrel numbers in urban environments as they hunt at night and squirrels are active in daylight.

Squirrel intrusion can be a serious problem for humans. Squirrels are rodents like mice and beavers and have large front teeth that continually grow, making it mandatory that the rodent gnaw to wear them down. In the wild, squirrels must gnaw wood to enlarge tree cavities and cut through the hulls of hickory nuts or pine cones to obtain the fruit for food. Squirrels taking the easy pickings from a bird feeder are not wearing their teeth down naturally; however, they still must gnaw. They substitute on other items such as patio furniture, hose reels and soft car engine parts like belts, hoses, wiring and the trim around a house. I have been told of instances when squirrels found or created entrances into attics and chewed into wiring causing a fire.

Recently, a friend called in tears due to squirrels invading her car, causing over $3,000 in wiring and belt damage in three different episodes. I visited her to assess the problem. As I drove through the nice subdivision with mature hardwoods in every yard and occasional undeveloped lots of hardwoods, I noted how it resembled many residential areas in Alabama. At the home, there were gnawing marks on practically everything outside. I recommended live traps and removal. She diligently worked three yards, comprising less than 2 acres, in a subdivision for three months and relocated 125 gray squirrels. As the final touch, trees in the vicinity of the house were removed. Habitat changes are sometimes necessary to discourage unwanted wildlife occupation. My friend had exemplified the characteristics required to compete with wildlife intrusion: diligence and persistence. Wildlife problems are not normally solved in a day or week but require management and maintenance as needed.

Another incident for which I provided technical guidance involved predation on poultry. Here again, live traps were recommended and the landowner eventually caught a “wild cat,” which bit him. It cannot be over emphasized that a wild animal’s best defense is to bite. When you trap something, it is going to be agitated and will bite anything it can. Therefore, keep your body parts away from the trap and use tools to open the door for release.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources does not remove nuisance animals, but we will advise you on steps you may try to accomplish your goal. Contact your local Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries office listed inside the front cover of the telephone book for technical guidance on solutions to the problem.

If you are not comfortable attempting to solve nuisance animal issues, there are contractors listed in the yellow pages under Animal Removal Services. There is also a list of nuisance wildlife operators at www.outdooralabama.com.

Steve Bryant is a Certified Wildlife Biologist serving the Alabama Department of Conservation at the Swan Creek Wildlife Management Area. He can be contacted by email at Steve.Bryant@dcnr.alabama.gov; by phone at (256) 353-2634; or by mailing to Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Swan Creek WMA, 21453 Harris Station Road, Tanner, AL 35671.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR visit www.outdooralabama.com.