Avoid Harming Wild Life

Simple suggestions to avoid harming wildlife

Never use poison in your yard. Aside from causing a slow cruel death, poison doesn't always reach its target species. Poisoned rodents are often eaten by birds of prey or mammals, causing secondary poisoning. These rodents may also be eaten by domestic animals, like your neighbor's cat or dog.
Dying animals may end up in a small space under your house, making it very difficult to reach a rotting corpse.

This lactating mother opossum was almost killed from eating poisoned cat food that was laid out in a trap.

While you may feel inclined to rid your garden of any insects and snails, keep in mind that these creepy crawlies provide dinner for an array of birds and small mammals. Use non-toxic bug sprays to avoid harming wildlife. A bucket of beer works wonders for an over population of snails. Try to keep a natural balance in your garden. Mother Nature may be working better than you expect. Black widows for example, provide a tasty treat for skunks and ducks love to feast on snails.

Never use glue traps! While being extremely cruel since the animals often break their limbs struggling to escape or may even chew limbs off trying to get away, they too do not necessarily reach the target species. Each year many song birds and small birds of prey are caught in these traps. Even birds that are successfully removed often go into shock and die from the stress of being stuck. If you discover a bird caught in a glue trap, massage cooking oil onto the part that is stuck until the bird is free. Immediately put it into a box and leave it alone to de-stress. A rehabber will do the rest if the bird survives.

This say,s Phoebe was successfully   removed and was released after a full molt.

Never trap wildlife! People who live-trap do so thinking that the animal won't be harmed and that the removal of this animal will solve their problem. The attraction will still remain and another animal of the same species will fill in the void. Rodents may also take over where predatory animals have been removed, creating bigger problems.
By eliminating the source of the animal's interest, most problems can easily be solved. Many times the animal that causes the property damage is not the same animal that is caught in the trap.
Animals are often injured frantically trying to find a way out of the trap. Lactating mothers leave babies behind to die a slow death of starvation. Animals that are relocated, find themselves not knowing where or how to find food. In addition they are often harassed by animals that have already claimed that territory. Those territorial fights often prove to be fatal. These are some of the reasons, relocation of wildlife is prohibited, which means that many trapped animals are destroyed.

This burrowing owl was hit by a car and suffered mild damage to the left eye.

Be alert while driving! Each year millions of animals are killed along our highways trying to travel from one area to another to find food and a mate. Extra caution should be taken around dark windy roads even in residential areas as families of raccoons, skunks, opossums, bobcats, coyotes and sometimes deer are trying to cross.
When it is save to do so, move dead animals to the side of the road. This will prevent animals that feed on roadkill from becoming roadkill.
Don't forget to check dead opossums for babies that may be alive in the pouch or close by.

Report any restaurants that do not cover their used cooking oil with a secure lid, to the county health department. It is illegal for it to be exposed and it is usually kept in the trash area. Each year, many seagulls as well as other wildlife, drown in large vats of oil that are not covered. The smell leads them to think that they will find a meal, but sadly, they drown. instead. The birds that do manage to escape, find them selves starving to death as they cannot fly away,  they bake in the sun during the day, and freeze at night unable to keep warm.  Look for oiled foot prints to find a bird that has moved since you last saw it. Enlist the help of several people to corner the bird close to the side of a building(do not chase it into open space). Use a large towel or net to capture the bird and place in a box that has plenty of towels in the bottom. The beak can give you a nasty bite so hold the head as well as the body, and keep it away from your face. The grease will leak through so placing some plastic protection underneath will avoid your car seat from being ruined if you transport the bird.  Birds will often ingest large amount of oil trying to escape so treatment maybe necessary as well as several special washings. If you have to over night a bird that is oiled until you transport it to a rehabber, it is a good idea to place the box or pet carrier on top of a heating pad set on low during the night. Check the bird to make sure it does not over heat and make sure there is good ventilation.