Urban Wildlife can be Prevented

An interesting thing happened in Cardston last month; the Cardston Animal Control Officer caught as many skunks as he did dogs. Why are so many skunks coming into the urban limits?

The human factor plays a very big roll in this problem, people often inadvertently feed and/or shelter wildlife. Feeding your pets outside is the biggest contributor to attracting wildlife (especially skunks and racoons) into town. Wild animals that are fed, even inadvertently, often lose their fear of humans and could even become aggressive when not fed as expected. If you find you have a skunk residing in your yard and you want to get rid of it call the Animal Control Officer at 382-8614 or be sure to use an enclosed trap, skunks can spray up to fifteen feet and it is pretty hard to move a trap from that distance. Experience proves that a lot of the old stories that say; if a skunk cannot lift it’s tail it won’t spray, or if you get it’s feet off the ground it can’t spray; just are not true.

Prevention is the key to this problem. Wildlife related problems around homes can be prevented by taking a few simple steps, such as: never handle or feed them, put your trash out only on the day of collection, make garbage and compost inaccessible by putting it in covered trash containers, do not leave pet food out (especially over night), clean up spilled seeds, etc. from bird feeders, cover dryer vents and secure your chimney with a chimney cap. The harder you make it for these varmints to create a home in your yard the less likely they will stick around.

Some people have asked, “What do I do with a varmint once I have caught it?” Most think it should just be relocated to another area, this rarely resolves conflict issues and just passes the problem onto someone else. It is far better to remove the animal and block the access to the area so it cannot return, chicken wire under a shed and out a foot around the perimeter of the shed deters marmots, skunks and even gophers from trying to reclaim a den, if you cut it and pin it to the ground you can still grow grass and mow it without a problem. Food sources must be removed and potential shelter resources are made inaccessible the same animal or others will take advantage of your kindness.

Just a final note of interest this problem extends to feral or stray cats as well, if you don’t want them in your yard, don’t feed them.

For more information on this or any animal problems in Cardston call your Animal Control Officer at (403)382-8614.