Wild Animals Trying To Come In From The Cold

November 01, 1989|By VIRGINIA BIGGINS Staff Writer

Most people know autumn has arrived when the leaves begin to turn, but the rangers in Newport News parks learn of the change in seasons from the area's wildlife population.

Every fall, park rangers can expect more than the average number of telephone calls as residents seek ways of getting a raccoon out of the chimney, a squirrel out of the attic or snakes from the basement.

In most instances, the animals are looking for nesting sites before cold weather sets in.

"Raccoons are primarily chimney animals. It is usually the female raccoon who'll go in a chimney when she is getting ready to have a litter," says Senior Park Ranger Douglas Long, who operates out of the ranger station at Deer Park, located off of Jefferson Avenue near J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, midtown Newport News.

"Under normal circumstances, the raccoon would use a den tree, or hollow tree, but with the limited woods in the area there are only so many unoccupied trees."

He says the mother usually has a place for her litter and another nest away from them, where she can rest between feedings. Most times, people will not be aware of the raccoons in the chimney until after the young ones are a month old.

"We catch the mother first and then open the damper on the fireplace and stick a mirror up there to locate the babies. We use leather gloves to get them out, because even the little ones are fighters. We have to be very careful, because they scratch and bite."

He recommends the use of chimney covers, which can be purchased at building supply and hardware stores, to keep wild animals out of chimneys.

The ranger recently helped a businessman on Jefferson Avenue who had a raccoon with young babies in his attic. "He couldn't get rid of them on his own. We caught the mother in a live trap, and the next day got the young ones out," he says, explaining that he made sounds like a raccoon to lure the 2-month-old babies out in the open.

Long points out, however, that rangers do not make house calls every time someone has a wild animal trapped in a chimney or attic.

"We are considered a consultant agency for wild-animal nuisances. We do not handle tamed-animal problems," he says. "When people call about a trapped raccoon, squirrel, bird or snake, we usually give them suggestions on how to get rid of the problem and tell them how to prevent reoccurrences. This is usually handled on the telephone."

He says people usually do their own trapping after they have conferred with the rangers.

"We don't have enough people or manhours to do the trapping for them," he says. "But, there are times we will help an elderly resident or others who have tried various way to trap the animal and have had no results," says Long.

Often, people do not know the type of animal trapped in a chimney, between walls or in the attic, but the rangers are able read signs to make an identification. For example, raccoons leave little footprints or hair on the sides of a chimney or access areas to an attic.

Bats, owls, raccoons, opossums, skunks and squirrels will take up lodging in houses if they can't find adequate nesting areas in trees and wooded areas. Raccoons will seek shelter in mid and late spring and early fall. Squirrels and other wildlife will seek shelter for the winter.

Birds looking for nesting areas in attics, and snakes will also come indoors during certain times of the year.

But, Long says, it is not unusual for some of the wildlife to get inside homes during the summer months.

Besides chimney covers, he suggests a couple of ways to discourage animals:

* Don't leave bird feeders against the house.

* Don't leave dog or cat food outside at night.

Approximately 99 percent of the snakes that get into houses on the Peninsula are non-poisonous.

"The main thing to remember is that all wild animals should be treated with caution and respect. If they are threatened, they will fight back. We do not advocate trying to get rid of them without the proper equipment," says Long.

Live traps can be obtained from the Peninsula SPCA for a $20 deposit and $1-a-day rental. The equipment includes a catch pole that can be used to run down deer or dogs and a net to capture birds.

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