San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Warnings of wildlife displaced in fire zone
Humans aren’t the only ones being displaced by the Bay Area’s devastating wildfires.
Firefighters battling the Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties say they are seeing a surge in displaced wildlife prowling around evacuation zones — as their habitats, too, have been decimated by California’s recordshattering wildfire season.
Turkeys, ringtailed cats, foxes, coyotes, deer, mountain lions and even bears have been spotted on the move as they attempt to find a safe place to shelter both from people and the wildfires, said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Sean Norman.
In the past few days alone, he said, he’s seen more mountain lions than in his entire firefighting career. He suspects it’s because fire season has never been this bad, in both the wildfires’ number and their rapid spread.
“We’ve burned 4 million out of 40 million acres,” Norman said. “That’s a lot of their area that’s no longer available to them.”
The sheer number of acres destroyed has led to a historic shrinking of shared space for all habitats. Norman cautioned people returning to evacuation zones that they may be sharing the area with wildlife whose environments have been impacted just like their own.
“It’s a function of their habitat being smashed down into such a small footprint of area they have left to occupy,” he said. “They don’t have apartments to live in.”
In the coming weeks, people returning to fire zone areas where wildlife may be migrating should take precautions, said John Comisky, president of Napa Wildlife Rescue.
First, they may want to keep a closer eye on their pets, especially small cats and dogs, he said.
Especially in riskier times like these,
the organization advises people not to leave their animals outside all the time — cats in particular, because they are vulnerable to predators and in turn can injure wildlife.
The other basic rule is not to approach wildlife. Deer are especially important to avoid, Comisky said.
“Fullgrown deer are one of the most dangerous things in the forest,” he said. “Their front hooves are very sharp — with one slip, they can disembowel a human.”
“People need to understand that just as they’re displaced, that animal patterns may be a little different,” said Dr. Deana Clifford, senior wildlife veterinarian for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “They need to give wildlife that space and be cognizant of that, and not have attractants around the house.”
Don’t leave pet food and water outside the house, because it could give wildlife an incentive to come close, Clifford said.
People should also carefully check open crawl spaces under their homes, as wildlife may have taken residence there. When spaces are cleared, be sure to seal them, Clifford said.
If you encounter wildlife, the best thing to do is to stay away. If it’s an emergency, call the hotline for your county’s wildlife rescue department or the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
If an animal comes close to you, try to stay back and walk away slowly. Don’t run.
For mountain lions:
Do: Stop, look big, pick up any small children ( put them on your shoulders) or animals, make loud noises, and back away slowly. Do not: Run away or move fast. Do not crouch down.
For bears:
Do: Move very slowly, kind of to the side, and keep an eye on the bear. Try to increase the distance. If a predatory encounter is inevitable, spray the area around you with bear spray and be prepared to play dead — lie on your stomach with your hands clasped around your neck.
If you encounter an animal you think is in danger, call your county’s wildlife hotline first to help determine whether it’s an animal that needs help or should just be left alone, Comisky said.
UC Davis’ Wildlife Disaster Network, a partnership between the school and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, has established a hotline for people to call if they encounter injured wildlife: 18009426459.
But spotting a baby animal by itself — like a fledgling bird or curledup fawn — does not necessarily mean it needs rescuing, or is an orphan. Many wildlife parents leave their children alone during the day while they look for food, or watch them from a distance to protect them. Attempting to rescue them without calling a wildlife rescue center first could put them and yourself in more danger.
If an animal is bleeding, or has an obvious broken limb or wing, or trauma, that could be a sign that it needs help.