Where the Wild Things Are

In the original Three Little Pigs story the wolf gets cooked in a cauldron when he comes down the chimney of the brick house. Well, unless you keep your chimney flue in good repair, you could end up cooking some critters yourself.

DC is known for being a very green city (as in trees, although Fenty’s crew is working on the other kind of green too). Where there are trees and parks … there are also plenty of animals. Welcome or not, if you are going to live here, then expect visitors from time to time. 

I took this picture in mid-afternoon a few weeks ago. It is someone’s porch in Cleveland Park. A second raccoon was hiding under the gutter.

Cute and cuddly? Maybe at first. Raccoons, deer, rabbits, rats, o’possum, squirrels, hawks, owls, woody woodpecker, many songbirds, what else? These are the things that I have encountered in my back yard over the years. 

I like most of them. The o’possum is slow and steady when he appears at night, keeping to himself. The hawk and woodpecker were exciting viewings. The deer annoyingly ate the vegetables in my community garden plot. The squirrels entertain my cat, while staying at a safe distance (unlike the unlucky mice and many little birdies.) 

I hated the rat in my wall, of course.

Then we come to the raccoons. Ask any homeowner who has had raccoons tear up the air conditioning unit in the attic and he/she will probably get a look of distaste and proclaim “I HATE raccoons.” I am one of those people — except the raccoon was on my kitchen counter, not in the attic. It had climbed a step ladder leaning against my house and entered through the window.

I laugh now, but my laugh is followed by a grimace. Raccoons are nasty and they can carry rabies. Eventually I had to call a (live) trapping service. Within a day we caught one raccoon, after first catching my cat. This seemed to scare off the other raccoons I had seen, at least during the day. The trapping service promised to release him back to the wild but I have my doubts.

If you too are sharing space with the wild things, then here are some tips. Also, visit the Humane Society Web site for some insights:

• Remember back yard animals may seem tame but they are not. Enjoy them (or loathe them) from afar.  
• Watch for unusual behaviour that could be a sign of rabies, which can be transmitted to pets and humans. It can be fatal.
• Don’t leave food out for raccoons. They will get used to coming around and you will never get rid of them.  
• Remove or repair things that might attract unwelcome creatures - like open trash cans, an open chimney flue (perfect for nesting), or holes in your roof. 
• Clear out any underbrush in your back alley. This attracts and shelters rats.
• If you raise fences to protect vegetables from deer then they have to be quite high. Consult your local garden center or check online. Here is one guy who has thought it all through for you.
• If deer are eating your flowers, try planting varieties that they do not like.  
• Call a trapping service  if you need to have animals removed. Remember these animals need a place to live too, so try to find a service that will take them to sweeter animal digs.
• Alternatively, if you are sure of yourself, you can buy live animal traps. The price of one trap is much less than the daily fee to have a service come to your house.  
• Place bird houses out of reach of the cat, and if you have a bird feeder, make sure you fill it regularly through winter. Birds will begin to depend on this food source and you may cause hardship if it is suddenly taken away.
• I have no mercy for the rats. But keep rat poison away from kids, pets and edible plants!  

Cheers,
Allison