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Discourage Raccoons From Moving In Wild animals belong in the wild. For their
protection and your own, they should not be allowed to take up residence inside
or near your home. Although some mammals are more susceptible to some
strains of rabies, any animal can be infected by any strain of rabies. A strain
new to Ontario, which is spread by raccoons, could enter the province some time
this year, most likely in the Niagara Region. Keep raccoons away ·
Do not provide food or shelter for raccoons or
other wild animals. It is against the law to keep wildlife, including raccoons,
as pets. ·
If your pet's food is usually left outside, bring
it in at the end of the day. Raccoon-proof your home You may want to contact a professional for advice,
or raccoon-proof your home yourself: ·
Cover
up potential entrances, such as uncapped chimneys,
loose shingles and openings in attics, roofs and eaves. If you're not sure where
raccoons are getting in, sprinkle flour around potential entrances and check for
footprints later. You can also stuff a rag or ball of paper in a suspect hole
and check later to see if it has been removed. ·
Make
a raccoon den unlivable. Sprinkle naphtha flakes
around the area or hang ammonia-soaked cotton rags near the entrance and keep
the area brightly lit. Raccoons dislike loud noises, bright lights and strong
smells. Use the same methods in your garden or in the area where you keep your
garbage or composter. ·
Always
cover composters and garbage cans. Use a bungie cord or a
heavy weight to keep the lid in place. ·
Make
sure that all raccoons or other animals have left before sealing up holes in any
part of a building. This is especially important
between May and July when there may be young. ·
Block
the entrances to a raccoon den once you're sure all
the animals have left. You can use sheet metal. Repair siding and holes in
buildings, and use heavy rustproof screening to cover open air vents or
chimneys. · Trim all overhanging tree branches or any other structure that animals might use to get on to the roof of a residence or detached building.
HANDLING WILDLIFE As
warmer weather approaches, both wildlife and people become more active and the
chances of interaction between the two increases. People
who see young wildlife alone in the spring often mistakenly think these animals
are sick, abandoned or orphaned, but it is common for young to be left alone for
periods of time, especially during the day. Unless you are sure a young animal
is abandoned, do not disturb it. You may do more harm than good. For example,
female deer spend much of the day away from the fawns during
the weeks after the fawn is born. This minimizes the chances of predators
finding the fawn by following the female deer's scent trail. If you approach a
fawn, you may cause it to run and leave a scent trail, making it easier for
predators to find the fawn. When
young birds are learning to fly and forage for food they often
fall to the ground. The adult waits for the fledgling to return to the nest or
feeds the young bird while it is on the ground. If the fledgling is uninjured,
it is safe for a person to return the bird to its nest. Most birds have a poor
sense of smell, so the mother will not reject her young if you touch it. If
you must handle wildlife, always wear gloves. Young
squirrels often fall from their nests even before their eyes
open. Usually, the adult squirrel will retrieve their young and return it to the
nest when it is safe. To
determine if young wildlife is truly orphaned: ·
Check
the animal periodically for 24 to 48 hours to see if it has left the area. ·
Keep
the area quiet and free of cats and dogs. The adult will not return if it is
noisy or if predators or people are nearby. ·
Observe
the animal to see if it is well nourished and active. The animal probably is not
an orphan if it is healthy and well fed. Contact
your local Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) office if you find an orphaned
animal. Staff will help you locate an authorized wildlife custodian. Under the Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Act, a person cannot keep wildlife without
approval. Keeping an orphan animal in your home could endanger you and your
family by exposing you to diseases like rabies, and it is an offence. Sick
or Diseased Wildlife: If
you come across sick or diseased wildlife and you suspect a public health risk,
such as rabies or West Nile Virus, contact your regional or local health unit
immediately. Symptoms of illness in animals can include tremors, convulsions and
loss of fear of humans. If
the animal is alive and there is a public safety issue, contact your local
police department. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is then contacted to
assess whether or not the animals need to be tested for diseases like rabies. Injured
Animals: If
you find an injured wild animal, contact your MNR Office for details about
authorized custodians in your area. Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Act, the only people who may care for sick, injured or young game, or
specially protected wildlife, are veterinarians for medial care or authorized
wildlife custodians for rehabilitation. Nuisance
Animals: Landowners
are responsible for managing nuisance animals on their properties including any
costs. The
Ministry of Natural Resources can help landowners in: ·
determining
if the animals are a nuisance, ·
assessing
options for deterring the nuisance behaviour, and ·
providing
information on animal control services. The
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act
provides the property owner the option of capturing, harassing or killing
nuisance wildlife where the property owner believes on reasonable grounds that
the wildlife is damaging or about to damage property. This does not include
deer, moose, caribou or elk. Property owners can do this themselves or use an
authorized agent.
NUISANCE WILDLIFE Wildlife
is an important part of Ontario's natural and cultural heritage. Wildlife is
often a welcome addition to a landowner's property, but there are circumstances
under which wildlife can become a nuisance. The
Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) can help landowners by providing: ·
fact
sheets on typical nuisance animal biology and behaviour, ·
information
on animal control services and recommended best practices, ·
appropriate
agency referrals, and ·
information
required to obtain permits where required Landowners
are responsible for managing nuisance animals on their properties including any
costs. What
is a nuisance animal? The Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Act sets out the legal actions property owners
can take, when they can take those actions and the species of animals for which
they can take those actions. In general, landowners, or an agent of the
landowner may capture, kill, or harass nuisance wildlife to stop it from
damaging the landowner's property. There
are some exceptions: ·
Moose,
caribou, elk or endangered species cannot be captured, killed or harassed in
protection of property. ·
White-tailed
deer cannot be captured, killed or harassed unless you possess a Deer Removal
Permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). ·
Unnecessary
suffering cannot be caused to any wildlife. ·
Bears
killed in defence of property must be immediately reported to the local MNR
office. As well, specially protected raptors and furbearing mammals killed in
defence of property and that an individual wishes to keep must be reported to
the MNR within two working days. The
ministry does not condone the killing of wildlife where other options may be
available. Whenever possible, exclusion is the preferred option. Property owners
are advised to check with their local municipality regarding discharge of
firearms by-laws. Only licensed trappers may possess and use body-gripping
traps. Releasing
captured animals If
you live-capture a nuisance animal, within 24 hours you must: ·
release
it in close proximity to where it was caught (up to a maximum of one kilometre)
as directed by MNR ·
if
it is sick, injured, or immature, turn it over to a veterinarian or an
authorized wildlife custodian, or ·
humanely
euthanize it. In a
raccoon rabies "high-risk area", rabies carrier species, such as
raccoons, skunks, and foxes, must be released immediately at point of capture, or
humanely euthanized as soon as possible and within 24 hours. Using
an agent ·
a
licensed trapper, ·
an
employee or agent of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (OSPCA) appointed under the OSPCA Act, ·
a
member of your immediate family, ·
a
person whose main business is removing nuisance animals (animal control agents
as listed in yellow pages), and ·
employees
or agents of a municipality whose responsibilities relate to wildlife control. Other
persons may act as agents, but will require individual authorizations before
acting in protection of property situations. Contact your local MNR district
office regarding this. Specific sections in the Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Act and Regulations guide farmers who may have to deal with
situations of crop depredation by deer. .
Life Cycle Hibernation Habitat Diet Behaviour Foxes are an important part of rodent control. The great alertness of the red fox and its keen sense of smell, hearing and sight enable it to live close to humans without being easily noticed. An urban fox does not have the same fear of humans as a rural fox. However, an adult fox will generally respect the presence of a human and retreat when approached. Foxes should never be fed as they will quickly adapt to a human food source, which usually ends poorly for the animal. It is normal to see a fox out and about after dawn and before dusk, or anytime during the day when they are feeding their young. It is also normal to see foxes sunning themselves. Females may appear to have a scruffy coat during spring and summer while they are nursing their young. It is not normal for an adult fox to approach a dog or humans. Abnormal conditions or behaviour includes staggering, disorientation, paralysis of the hind limbs or attacking objects in a frenzied manner. Foxes should not be found in a doghouse, garage or trying to get into the house. Predators Diseases BATS
The
main types of bat found in Ontario are the Little Brown Bat and the Big Brown
Bat. Life
Cycle Hibernation Habitat Diet Behaviour Predators Diseases
Be
Bear Wise - Facts About Black Bears
· Black bears are generally timid and avoid encounters with people, but they can come into conflict with people especially when natural foods are scarce. · Black bears are large, powerful animals. Adult males can weigh 120 - 280 kg (250 - 600 lbs.). Adult females can weigh 45 - 180 kg (100 - 400 lbs.). Black bears are not normally aggressive towards humans, however, on extremely rare occasions, bears can be dangerous. · There are about 75,000 to 100,000 black bears in Ontario. · Black bears are active from mid-April to late fall in most parts of the province. · Most black bears enter their dens by mid-October in the north and by early November in central Ontario. However, bears will stay out of their dens longer when fall foods are abundant. · Black bear cubs are generally born in January while their mothers are in their dens. Cubs stay with their mothers for approximately 16-18 months following their birth. · Between early July and late September bears typically double their body weight as they prepare for winter hibernation. Black bears do not eat or drink while in their winter dens. · Black bears are omnivorous (they feed on both plants and animals). · Black bears feed mainly on summer and fall berry crops such as raspberries, blueberries and mountain ash, as well as acorns and beech nuts in the fall. · Natural foods vary greatly in abundance from year to year. Bears may look for other food sources more actively in the spring if the previous year's food supply was poor and they are in poor condition. They may also look for alternate food sources in late summer and fall if the current year's food supply is poor. Consequently, food or garbage around homes, cottages and campsites will become attractive to bears.
· Put garbage out on the morning of garbage day, and not the night before · Do not leave pet food outdoors · Thoroughly clean outdoor grills after use · Fill bird feeders only through the winter months · Do not put meat, fish or sweet food (including fruit) in your composter · Keep meat scraps in the freezer until garbage pick-up day · Pick all ripe fruit off trees, and remove vegetables and fallen fruit from the ground · Use electric fencing to protect valuable trees, orchards, vegetable and berry patches How to Recognize a Potentially
Dangerous Encounter Injuries by black bears are rare, but can occur in the following situations: Cornered bears Black bears may become anxious or annoyed if they are crowded by people or dogs, or if intently focused on a food source. These bears will generally give many warning signs (they may make huffing or "popping" sounds, swat or beat the ground with their forepaws or even bluff charge) to let you know that you are too close. Mother bears protecting their young Mother bears are rarely aggressive towards humans but they are protective of their cubs. Do not test this by intentionally approaching cubs or knowingly getting between them and their mother. The mother bear will generally give you many warning signs to let you know that you are too close. Predatory black bears On EXTREMELY RARE occasions, black bears (usually adult males) have attacked humans with the intent to kill and eat them. This has happened about 40 times in the last century in North America (six incidents in Ontario). By comparison, many more people have been killed by lightning, dogs, and bee stings. Predatory black bears may not make huffing or "popping" sounds, swat or beat the ground with their forepaws or perform bluff charges. Instead, they may press closer and closer to their intended prey assessing whether it is safe to attack. Here is what to do if you find
yourself in one of these situations. · Slowly back away, watching the bear. · If the bear tries to approach you, stop. Be aggressive, yell, throw rocks or sticks and use pepper spray if you have it. NEVER TURN AND RUN. · If the bear continues to approach you, resume backing away slowly while continuing to be aggressive towards the bear. · If a bear makes contact with you, DO NOT PLAY DEAD. Fighting back is the best chance of persuading a black bear to stop its attack. Use a large stick, a rock or anything else that you have on hand to hurt the bear. Be Bear Wise - What To Do If You
Encounter a Bear Bears are normally shy of humans and quickly get out of our way when they see us. There are a number of things you can do if you spot a bear on a trail or one enters your campsite or yard. · Do not approach the bear to get a better look. Slowly back away while watching the bear and wait for it to leave. · If you are near a building or car, get inside it as a precaution. If the bear was attracted to food or garbage, make sure it is removed after the bear leaves to discourage the bear from returning. · It is important to keep dogs away from a bear. While a well-trained dog may deter a bear, a poorly trained one may only excite it resulting in the bear following the dog back to its owner. · If a bear is in a tree, leave it alone. Remove people and dogs from the area. The bear will usually come down and leave when it feels safe. If a bear is trying to get at food in your yard or campsite (and a building or a car is not within reach) or if a bear tries to approach you, here is how you should react: · Stop. Face the bear. Do not run. If you are with others, stay together and act as a group. Make sure that the bear has a clear escape route, then yell and wave your arms to make yourself look bigger. Use a whistle or airhorn if you have one. The idea is to be aggressive and to persuade the bear to leave. This will work if the bear is still partly afraid of humans. · If these attempts fail to frighten the bear away, slowly back away watching the bear and giving it a wide berth. · Climbing a tree to get away from a bear may offer you little advantage as black bears are excellent tree climbers. · A bear may stand upright to get a better view, make huffing or "popping" sounds, swat or beat the ground with its forepaws or even bluff charge. These are a bear's way of telling you that you are too close. Back off and give the bear more space. If the bear comes within range, use pepper spray if you have it. In an immediate emergency call your local police or 911. To report bear problems call:
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