Common ways to handle nuisance wildlife

Wild animals in backyards are a common occurrence in Lake County. Bears, mountain lions and deer visit back yards for one reason only, food. All wildlife spends most of their life looking for food. One thing that has happened is that wild animals such as skunks, racoons, possums and even bears and coyotes are showing up in local backyards looking for water as well as food. There have been daily reports of racoons living in sheds and garages and even under houses. One local resident said that a family of five racoons had taken up residence in his garage and he wanted to know how he could get rid of them.

The most common way to handle nuisance wildlife is to use a live trap. However, before purchasing one and catching an animal, it is important to consider what has to be done with a live animal once it has been caught. The Fish and Wildlife Code states the requirements for trapped animals. Trapped animals are to be either released back into the immediate vicinity in which they were caught or to be killed immediately (California Code of Regulations- section 465.5). The Code lists kill methods that are prohibited to prevent undue cruelty. It is illegal in the State of California to relocate nuisance wildlife and most animal control agencies will not accept them (check with your local agency before trapping).

*Note CDFW’s website, under the heading, ‘Things CDFW Does NOT Do’. In most situations involving issues wildlife around your home, it is best to have a qualified pest control operator who is experienced and licensed in such work to take care of the problems you are experiencing. The Lake County Agriculture does offer licensed trappers free. They have two trappers on staff. The trappers will immediately kill any of the wild animals they trap. Residents can call the AG office at (707) 2630217 for guidance.

In reality, just about all the local residents that do trap skunks, racoons and possums will release them several miles from their homes. The reason being that they emotionally can’t bear to kill an animal. They do this despite the fact that it is illegal to release the animals in a different location from where they were trapped.

A high percentage of the residents with wildlife problems are elderly and they can’t cope with nuisance animals. For example, how is a 90-year-old person going to handle five raccoons that sleep in her garage every night? A good example was a few years ago when an elderly women called me and told me that a mountain lion was sleeping on her deck every night. She said that she had contacted the authorities and nothing had happened. Last year a resident of Lakeport said a bear was visiting his property daily and looking in a window. Earlier a bear climbed a tree in a backyard just a few blocks from downtown

A high percentage of the residents with wildlife problems are elderly and they can’t cope with nuisance animals. For example, how is a 90-year-old person going to handle five raccoons that sleep in her garage every night?

Lakeport. Authorities had to sedate the bear and take it to the nearby national forest and release it.

There are ways to discourage these wild animals from coming into your yard. There is a chemical that you can spray around your garbage cans and other areas that will keep them away. You can also mix some ammonia with water and spray it. Skunks and possums hate ammonia. You can also buy lights that will be activated when an animal walks past them. Wild animals hate lights. Skunks, possums and raccoons spend most of their time roving around after dark. You also want to keep all cat and dog food away from your backyard, because that is the primary reason that these varmints are visiting your property.

Once a wild animal visits your backyard and finds food it will keep coming back. Most of these animals are small, weighing less than 20 pounds, and they aren’t dangerous but they could be carriers of various types disease. For example, skunks can be carriers of rabies which can be deadly to humans. If a bear visits your backyard that is another major problem. You don’t want to approach it because it can be dangerous.

Dealing with wild animals is just part of living in Lake County and it isn’t going change anytime soon.