Preventing Problems
- Do not feed wild animals. Feeding encourages wild animals to become dependent on foods that are not part of their normal diet. Feeding causes wild animals to lose their fear of humans, and to congregate in unnaturally large groups. This increases the chance of disease transmission within wildlife populations and transmission to people.
- Secure your garbage. Use sturdy trash cans with secure lids, thoroughly rinse bottles and cans for recycling, and put food scraps in closed bins instead of open compost piles.
- Do not feed pets outside. If you must put pet food outside, do so only during the day. Clean up leftovers afterward, taking food and water dishes in overnight.
- Harvest ripe fruits and vegetables and pick up fallen fruit. Enclose your garden with barriers and use row covers or bird netting to protect vulnerable crops.
- Some animals prey on livestock and small companion animals. Keep pets inside and livestock in a securely enclosed and covered shelter, especially at night.
- Don’t let your house become a home for wildlife. A building in poor repair is an invitation for wild animals to move in.
- Animals can squeeze into small spaces, so seal holes and cracks in and around your house foundation. Check under the eaves, along roof lines, and in the attic for openings. Replace loose shingles on roof tops.
- Prune branches that hang over your house. To prevent animals from climbing trees to access windows and roofs, remove lower branches and wrap metal cylinders around trunk at least three feet from the ground. Remove brush piles from your yard and store wood off the ground.
- If you have a pet door, keep it closed at night.
Solving Existing Problems
If wild animals have already taken up residence in or under your house, wait until they leave and then exclude them. Assume there are babies present, and be careful not to separate parents from their young. If possible, wait until the family is old enough to move out.
If you cannot wait for animals to leave on their own, make their surroundings less inviting. Turn on a bright, flashing light and leave a radio talk show playing near their den site. Many animals are sensitive to smell, so deter them with mothballs or ammonia-soaked rags. Deploy as many deterrents as possible at the first sign of problems, but do not use these methods when babies are present.
You can also exclude animals while they are outside. Nocturnal animals such as bats should be closed out while they are active at night, whereas squirrels, for example, can be excluded during the day. Set up a one-way door or stretch a piece of plastic across the entrance. Use extreme caution to avoid trapping infants inside as they will be unable to use the one-way door and their mothers cannot return for them. Only when you are certain that there are no animals; including babies, left inside, close the opening permanently
Outdoors, use visual repellents such as aluminum pie plates, strips of metallic tape or flags. Olfactory deterrents (available in garden and hardware stores) create scent barriers must be reapplied after rain. Another option is electric fencing, which delivers mild shocks to keep wildlife out of gardens and pastures. (Consult your local zoning and review any neighborhood covenants to determine whether these are permitted in your area.)
Trapping and relocating wildlife does not solve human-wildlife conflicts and is, at-best, a short-term solution. Other animals will take their place unless the conditions that attracted the animals in the first place are corrected. Trapping also separates mothers from babies resulting in death of the young left behind.
Advice and information can be acquired from:
Belize Forest Department at (501) 802-2079 or www.forestdepartment.gov.bz
Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic at (501) 615-5159 / (501) 632-3257 or www.belizewildlifeclinic.org
Edited from “Living with Wildlife” by PAWS, WA.
Provided for your reference by: Belize Wildlife & Referral Clinic