By Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center Staff

The wild animals we share our world with bring us a lot of joy. But what happens when your wild neighbors decide to move into your attic or under your porch? What about when they choose to share the food in your pantry? When situations like these arise, the beautiful creatures we admire can seem a little less magical and feel a bit more like a nuisance. The prevention of cruelty to animals is a continuous crusade, and we at the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center would like to expand the scope of this sentiment to include wild animals. Some popular wildlife control measures are inherently inhumane, and we would like to shed light on these commonplace practices and provide you with humane and effective alternatives.

The wild animals most commonly considered to be nuisances include mice, raccoons, skunks, bats, and opossums. The house mouse is by far the most commonly encountered nuisance animal. Having lived alongside human populations for thousands of years, the house mouse is so well adapted to living in and around human structures that it virtually cannot live in wild habitats and compete against its wild relatives such as the deer mouse. When it comes to mice infestations, it can be hard to get control over it. It is important to figure out how they are getting in and sealing up these entrance locations. If they continue be a problem despite your best efforts, the last humane option is also the oldest and simplest: snap traps. Although not pretty, snap traps are quick and therefore humane. Sticky traps should never be used because the mice die slowly and painfully. Poison traps should also be avoided because the poison is a painful way to die. In addition, the poison doesn’t stop with the rodent, but actually works its way up the food chain, poisoning animals from housecats and dogs to red-tailed hawks and bald eagles.

Raccoons are misunderstood creatures that have adapted remarkably well to the replacement of their natural habitats with our concrete-laden landscapes. Many people become uneasy when they see raccoons during the daytime in the summer, but more often than not, these creatures are just looking for a mate or food for their babies, and should be left alone. Most issues that people have with raccoons are that the animals break into their trash cans and make a mess. But this problem has some easy solutions: compost your leftover, non-meat foods using a locked compost bin, move your trash cans into a garage or shed, or tightly secure your trash cans using lids that “click” into place and bungee cords. Trappers are expensive and are required by law to euthanize the animals they capture, so try out these simple changes to give the raccoon, and your wallet, a break.

Skunks have a very natural and understandable reason for being disliked by humans–they only have one method of defense, and it smells! The interactions we typically have with skunks can be quite dramatic and usually involve our dogs. Many dog owners have had a skunk spray their pet at least once in their lives. But the reality of skunks is that they do not want to spray you and only will as a last resort; they just want to be left alone. The trickiest situations occur when a skunk chooses to live under your porch. However, a skunk will not remain under your porch for long if you can trick it into thinking that another larger animal has staked claim to the spot. You can do this by placing rags soaked with ammonia in the skunk’s “den” and keeping them soaked for several days. Eventually the skunk will take the hint, pack up any babies she might have, and set off in search of a safe and vacant home.

Bats are remarkable creatures, being the only mammal that has evolved to fly, yet are misunderstood due to hundreds of years of scary legends and lore. Some species of bats, such as the common big brown bat, sleep the day away within the comfort of the nooks and crannies of homes, garages and barns, and emerge at night seeking tasty moths and insects. If you wish to evict bats from your home, instead of calling an exterminator to trap and euthanize the bats, or worse, possibly seal them within the walls, install what is called a “one-way exclusion door.” These one-way exits can be purchased online and installed over the holes that the bats (or other animals) use to enter and exit your home, and prevent them from coming back inside. You of course need to make sure that all your home’s stowaways have left the building before permanently sealing the entrance. However, one-way exclusion doors should not be utilized during the winter months when it is cold and there aren't any insects for bats to eat, or during their birthing season (May to July) when bats need a stable home for their babies. During the winter and baby season, it is in the best interest of the bats to leave them alone. However, if you need them removed, please click here for more information.

Opossums receive their bad reputations for purely cosmetic reasons: some people don’t like the way they look. With 50 formidable teeth they like to show off, a long furless tail, and an overall scraggly appearance, opossums tend to look more like nighttime marauders than the shy, nomadic, pest-controlling scavengers they really are. Opossums are helpful, omnivorous creatures that will help clean up unwanted pests in your backyard by eating mice, ticks, cockroaches, slugs, and snakes. Although generally nomadic, opossums will stick around if they have access to abundant free food. So, if you don’t want opossums around, don’t leave pet food outside, don’t feed feral cats, and keep your trash cans tightly locked. If an opossum happens to start living under your porch, you can utilize the method of placing ammonia-soaked rags in the area for several days and they will move along.

Although wild animals cause us frustration when they invade our homes or yards, all they really want is shelter and food. Since we cannot teach these animals to ignore their natural survival instincts for food and shelter, it is up to us to manage these human-wildlife conflicts using ethical resolutions and avoid the use of inhumane practices. So the next time you run into uninvited wild visitors to your home, try out these creative solutions!

Click here for more information and advice for specific problems with wildlife

Click here for a humane widlife conflict resolution guide. 

Click here for advice on how to choose a wildlife control company.