That's not just a squirrel. It's the critter that can burn your house to the ground
There is more you should know about wild things in your yard
Wildlife can be great to have around, but those little four legged and winged critters can invade your home, and you may have to spend lots of money to repair the damage, according to the Georgia Insurance Information Service GIIS.
Squirrels and raccoons may be crisscrossing your attic. You can find a bird condo behind small holes in your siding, or an opossum mother and babies might really like their new quarters under your porch or crawl space. Squirrels can easily chew your deck chairs or even deck railings. Rabbits see your flower garden as the local salad bar.
Wildlife causes nearly $4 billion in damage annually just in the top 100 metropolitan areas across the U.S. (Atlanta is the 10th largest metro area), according to a 1977 Utah State University study. What can you do when the animals move in? Not everyone is a do it yourself specialist, but there is help.
Local animal control officers can be called, especially when the critters have potential to carry rabies such as a raccoon or a fox. But they may not always be available for every animal problem. There are local companies and wildlife organizations that specialize in control of urban wildlife.
NOTE: Below are links to RealAudio® formatted audio files with more information from individuals interviewed in this story. To hear the audio, click on the linked words.
Mark Long, wildlife curator of the Chattahooche Nature Center, an educational facility located on the banks of the Chattahooche River in north Fulton County (Atlanta), says there are precautions homeowners can take to avoid problems with animals.
- Constantly check for knot holes that fall out of cedar siding homes and plug them up to prevent birds and squirrels from moving in. Check for any open spaces where the roof and the side walls come together or where the air vents are located. House fires that start in the attic are many times, the work of squirrels that chew through electrical wires.
- Install bird feeders away fraom the home, not close to it. Wildlife sees a home as just another big tree.
- If pets are fed outside, control the amount of food and do not leave large amounts of food outside for long periods of time. That attracts wild animals.
- Constantly monitor the attic area and under the home for signs animals are living there. Besides the potential damage from wildlife, there is a significant health risk since these animals carry lice, mites and several ectoparasites. There will be, in many cases, large amounts of feces where animals gather.
- The most dangerous animals are the rabies-carrying animals such as the red and gray foxes, raccoons, squirrels and opossums.
Wood Richard, director of Wild Lifeline, a not for profit and 24-hour animal control and rescue service, says the rodent population creates a great deal of the problems homeowners face.
Mice, rats, squirrels and flying squirrels have a nature to intrude. They can be hard to remove without doing damage to remove them, such as tearing out walls. The spring and the fall are the worst times because that's when the animals are raising babies.
Richard adds that if a wild animal is found and it appears injured or sick, do not pet it under any circumstances. Do not bring it into your home due to health hazards and do not feed the animal. The health of your family and the potential for problems with your property are at stake.
Editor's Note:
The Chattahooche Nature Center may be contacted at 770-992-2055,
ext. 126. Wide Lifeline may be contacted at 770-594-4098 (24 hours). |
