Interacting with backyard wildlife can be a great source of enjoyment and provide added value to being around the home. The trick is to enjoy wildlife in their natural settings without creating conditions that foster conflicts with wildlife and create wildlife damage. Bird feeders are great but they attract squirrels and rodents. Brush piles attract a variety of birds, snakes, and other wildlife. Be careful that your enjoyment of wildlife around the home does not create problems that will need to solves later.
 |
| Abandoned animals usually aren’t abandoned. |
Orphaned Animals
It is natural to be compassionate and desire to help “orphaned” and baby animals. But before you intervene, you should consider the following questions.
1. Is the animal truly orphaned?
2. Are you putting your own health and safety at risk? Fact, over 60% of all wild animal bites needing rabies shots were a result of the human approaching the animal, not the animal approaching the human!
3. Are you qualified? The Hippocratic oath says to “Do no harm.” Are you knowledgeable enough to help? If an animal is healthy, leave it alone.
Massachusetts has an excellent site on finding young wildlife If You Care, Leave them There .
Bats
Bat house construction and installation can be an environmentally friendly and rewarding activity. Putting up a bat house, however, does not guarantee that bats will use it. We don’t know exactly why bats dwell in one house and not another, but by following a few recommendations you can increase the likelihood that bats will live in your bat house.
Bat House Construction and Installation, (2011) Nebraska Extension
Bat House Plans, Bat Conservation International
Backyard Birds
Brush Piles and Habitat Construction
- Rabbitat – Brushpiles for Wildlife, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources.
Wildlife Rehabilitators
Wildlife rehabilitation is not a form of backyard wildlife. In many cases wildlife rehabilitation is covered by local , state and federal laws. Use a professional if you need these services. For a list of wildlife rehabilitors organized by individual state, visit Service Vendors