SANTA CRUZ —In light of the recent investigation into allegations that a local pizza restaurant owner ordered employees to kill a baby opossum by drowning it in bleach, the Santa Cruz Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sees the need to send an educational message to the public about humanely coexisting with the common wildlife with which we share our beautiful community.
Our organization receives hundreds of calls per year from community members with questions regarding what should be done and what can be done with neighborhood wildlife such as; raccoons, deer, opossum, skunk, coyotes and squirrels, that make their way into homes, yard, garages, gardens and other structures. While some of their behaviors can be a nuisance, we strongly urge people to seek safe, respectful and humane ways to deter them rather than kill or harm them.
It’s important to remember that killing, harming, live-trapping and relocating wild-animals in not a final solution and is also illegal.
One of the most important factors for effectively deterring wildlife is removing the things around your home and yard that provide them with a comfortable habitat. The following tips will be helpful in accomplishing this goal:
Remove any and all outdoor pet food and water- Tightly fasten garbage can lids
- Keep sheds and garage doors closed
- Cut back tree limbs approximately 3’ from roof lines
- Harvest all ripe fruit from trees and shrubs, and remove fallen fruit from the ground
- Remove all brush piles and trash accumulation
- Sprinkle your lawn and planters with cayenne pepper if animals are frequenting your yard
- Place ammonia-soaked rags around or under any structure where animals are visiting
- Play a radio or shine a bright light into any areas where animals are living or congregating
- Close off openings where roof lines overlap
- Replace and reinforce damaged screen vents
- Keep crawl spaces tightly covered
- Keep a spark arrester on the chimney
(*All tips courtesy of Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz County*)
“Killing or harming a wild animal or any animal for that matter is unacceptable. We truly hope that through community education, we can help to keep sad situations like this from happening in the future. While common wildlife can do things that we see as destructive or bothersome, it’s important to remember that they are doing nothing more than what is completely normal. We ultimately share a living space and many times with just a little due diligence on our parts, we can safely and humanely coexist,” said Sarah Eryavec, Interim Director of the Santa Cruz SPCA.
Neither the Santa Cruz SPCA nor the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter is able to pick up perfectly healthy wildlife. However, if you encounter a wild animal that you suspect is injured, ill, or a baby animal that has been abandoned please contact the Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz County by calling 831-462-0726. If you are unable to reach Native Animal Rescue, please contact the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter at 831-454-7200.
For more resources and information on coexisting peacefully with wildlife in your area, species-specific deterrent methods, or an in-depth guide to handling injured or ill wildlife please visit Native Animal Rescue’s website at www.nativeanimalrescue.org.
The Santa Cruz SPCA is the county’s ONLY completely non-profit animal shelter, running solely on donations and receiving no government funding. The main shelter is located at 2685 Chanticleer Avenue in Santa Cruz and is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The SPCA Adoption Center and Gift Shop at the Capitola Mall near Target is open Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visit our website at www.santacruzspca.org or call (831) 465-5000.