The Ukraine army are planning to train baby raccoons as sappers to find explosives and sniff mines. This all stemmed from last spring when an officer rescued a raccoon from hunting dogs. The unit decided to foster him and named him Hook. They soon found him a girlfriend – Alice and the couple now live happily in the unit. However what the raccoons don’t know is that their offspring will be trained from kits (babies) to search for explosives and mines. It’s a combat engineering purpose and an unofficial raccoon control technique, which I personally think is very intelligent as raccoons are quick learners, very crafty, extremely adaptable and expert problem solvers. But asking zoologists some says yes they are smart enough, some zoologists say no, too aggressive and curious. But the future will tell if these black bandits can become sergeants.
Raccoon Control Toronto
Waiting on the raccoon fate is similar to Toronto and the new green bins that are being issued to tackle our human-wildlife conflict. Toronto has it’s own army of wild raccoons that troop around our city, enter our homes as they wish, take siege in our attics and obstruct our backyards. And we cant forget our urban cowboy the squirrel who are as bad. Toronto has taken measures to tackle the human-wildlife conflict with the new green bins with a twist handle which should stop raccoons opening them. Hopefully this will work as a raccoon control measure and stop raccoons having a one stop shop for food. Although the repercussions of this could see raccoons breaking into our homes and eating from cupboards, but as I said the future will tell. Maybe we should take inspiration from the Ukraine army and think further outside the box to help with raccoon control. As it is illegal to kill these animals, ideas to train them to help in other areas just like we use dogs is an idea. I am not saying this is ideal as I am all about leaving wildlife to be wild but the human – wildlife conflict in Ontario needs to be approached on some level. The Ukraine Army training them is inspiring and highlights there are answers to our conflicts.
Not to quote Suits but there are always options. “When you’re backed against the wall, break the god damn thing down!” 🙂
For more information on Ukraine’s raccoon army check out he article – “Ukraine’s Army to Train Raccoons as Sappers“. Until Toronto can reach an answer to our raccoon control problem you can call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated who can look after your wildlife needs, we remove all animals humanely from your property and they are taken a mile away and released back into the wild. Check out our raccoon removal page for more information.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated for Raccoon Control: 647.994.9453
Wildlife proofing your property is important as Toronto and the surrounding Greater Toronto Area are home to a large number of wildlife. Wildlife have no choice but to move into the cities as we’ve grown and expand further into the countryside. Each year they are forced into closer contact with humans and must compete with us for food, shelter and space. Conflicts can be prevented depending on how we think and act towards wildlife. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and neighbors about living with wild animals. We will always have wildlife within our city environment, and wildlife will continue to enter our properties until we take preventative measures,
Wildlife proofing your property is important to ensure everyone’s safety and to avoid conflicts
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated offers wildlife assessments of your property to help identify the wild animal that may inhabit your property. This assessment will offer solutions to humanely remove the animal and suggestions for preventative measures. We will inspect your attic and close off entry-points, but before securing them, we ensure that there are no wildlife trapped inside. We will cap chimneys, put mesh over entrances, and soffits, all the weak areas of your house. A mesh fence is installed around your yard to prevent any further digging from unwanted guests.
The picture below is us wildlife proofing a deck. The ground is dug several ft and wire mesh is installed so animals cannot dig underneath.
Further steps we advise you to take to keep wildlife off your property include:
Installing motion-sensor lights to startle wildlife
Trim tree branches that overhang your home
Keep garage/shed doors securely closed
Do not feed wildlife, they will keep returning if you do
Clean up after BBQ’s and make sure there is no scrap food remaining
Securely close your bins with a bungee cord so wildlife cannot open it. Raccoons have very nimble fingers that they can open bins and tumble them over
Feeding wild animals almost always results in negative consequences for both humans and wildlife
The least traumatic and most inexpensive way of dealing with wild animals is to wildlife proof your property before wildlife moves in. Wildlife proofing your property will save you costs in the future as you will avoid animal removal and damages.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated for Wildlife Prevention – 647-994-9453
Animal Control and Wildlife Control are terms that differ on many levels and are often mixed up. Understanding the difference between the two will help you receive the correct information and get in contact with the right help.
Animal Control handles mostly domestic animal cases, like dogs or cats
Wildlife Control deals with wildlife like raccoons, squirrels, skunks, bats etc. and are handled by private companies when on private property.
Animal Control
In Toronto and the GTA, animal control is handled by the city, who are responsible for preventing cruelty to animals, enforcing animal cruelty bylaws and housing stray animals.
They often provide the following:
Pet licensing
Animal Welfare
Unwated animals
Barking Complaints
Animals running at large
Adoption
Helping homeless, hungry or hurt animals
Here are several organization who can help you with animal services
For information on pet safety, food safety for pets, pet-proofing, and natural disaster prep for pet owners check out this great Pet Safety Guide by Expertise.
Wildlife Control
Wildlife control technicians handle animals who are generally seen in the wild and are not domesticated.
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated provides the following services:
Animal control and wildlife control differ in the animal species they manage, but they both promote and protect the health and safety of people and animals. Both animal and wildlife control organizations should be professional and humane; to be well versed and familiar not only with wildlife regulations and species conservation but also with laws, rules and regulations relevant to wildlife management.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
The shooting of the Newmarket black bear on Monday, June 1st, has outraged the public of Ontario, and rightly so. The citizen’s of Ontario are now petitioning the government to formally review the policies and actions of the police and Ministry of Natural Resources in regards to wildlife conflict response. The policies and procedures in place are obviously not adequate regarding safe and ethical practices when dealing with the preservation and protection of wildlife.
The MNR have strict laws and guidelines for wildlife control, however the shooting of the Newmarket bear shows a failure in the system that needs to be addressed. On the MNR website you are advised to contact “Bear Wise” or the police if you have a bear problem. The Newmarket bear was roaming the streets for two days before the police responded and by the time MNR officials were ready to respond, the bear had been shot dead by police.
With the austerity cuts in 2012 the public education programs under Bear Wise were cancelled and staff was cut from 48 officers to 21 which may have resulted in the delay. Unfortunately the 2015 budget outlines, another 5.5 per cent cut to all government programs except essentials such as health care and education. That means the MNR is about to be stretched even thinner. Nonetheless, proper protocol and training should be enforced. All wildlife removal needs to be humane by law. Private Wildlife Control companies like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated use humane wildlife control techniques for Raccoon Removal, Squirrel Removal, Skunk removal, Bat Removal, Bird Removal.
A new petition has been started by the outraged public for the government to correct the policies and procedures in place. You can read more about it and sign up here.
For further information on how people and bears can co-exist check out Bear With Us. Bear With Us Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Centre for Bears was formed by Mike McIntosh, who has been making his rounds educating people and assisting with conflict resolution. It may be an idea that the MNR collaborate with the sanctuary to avoid a future system failure.
Ontario is and has been facing human wildlife conflict. Constantly, wildlife are breaking into people’s property resulting in wildlife being mistreated treated by humans. From our experience, it is very sad to see what some people are capable of doing to animals, but fortunately there are still a large population of people who respect wildlife and promote humane treatment.
Wildlife, like raccoon’s, squirrels, skunks, and opossums all exist in Toronto, bringing a little bit of nature to the hustle and bustle of the city. With food readily accessible in trash bins and gardens plus the disruption of their natural habitat, we can hardly blame them for helping themselves as they adapt to an urban lifestyle. Toronto has become overpopulated with wildlife in the city as there is no natural predators to keep a balance which the reason for a human-wildlife conflict. So why are these animals not being killed to resolve the human-wildlife conflict? Why are these pests removed from our homes and released a mile away?
We believe and support in humane solutions and so do Ontario legislation. Ontario has strong animal welfare legislation, enforcing strong laws and tough penalties. In Ontario it is an offence to cause or permit distress to an animal.
“Our goal is to ensure that Ontario’s animals are protected and treated in the humane manner that our society expects” Ministry of Natural Resources, 2015.
According to Ontario rules and regulations, to even own a trap that can catch anything bigger than a rat is illegal. Any device big enough to kill a raccoon or the use of poisons to kill these wild animals could also end up injuring someone else including pets. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recommends hiring a licensed professional to trap and remove the animal.
Trapping is a common practice of urban wildlife management in Toronto, but the most effective way of controlling nuisance wildlife like raccoon’s, skunks, mice, rats, or squirrels is prevention. Preventing wildlife from entering your home can be much more effective than live trapping.
Toronto Human Wildlife Conflict
The large population of wildlife in Toronto can be associated with the introduction of the green bins a few years ago. The green bins provided the animals with a one stop shop for food which seems to have correlated with the increase in wildlife population.
To tackle this problem the government are providing Toronto residence with the next generation green bin which is larger, more sturdy and has improved animal resistance features. You can see the new bin below and the size difference in comparison to the older green bin. We should see this bins fully introduced later this year / early 2016.
Below is a video of the new green bins put to the test with raccoon’s. I have to be honest when these bins were first introduced I was very skeptical as raccoon’s are very intelligent. I guess they will have to be put to the test so we can find out!
Although this is a humane step the City of Toronto has taken to tackle the city’s wildlife problem, this alone is not enough to deal with Toronto’s wildlife problem. Recent talks by the City have further recommended “human behavioral contributors to urban wildlife issues.” to help mitigate the wildlife conflict. This still has to get approval from the full council and it will be about addressing the human behavior to urban wildlife issues rather than implement programs that attempt to control wildlife populations.
Educating people on their behavior is a great step in learning how to deal with human-wildlife conflict. This humane response would involve compassion and respect and preclude cruelty and avoid suffering or injury to the animals. Educating the public to understanding the animals’ characteristics and needs and learn how to wildlife proof your home and property will help us take a non-lethal approach leading to a peaceful coexistence. Urban wildlife is an important element of the city life and it is important to appreciate the diversity of these animals. When they are prevented from being a nuisance, they can add an important aspect to living in the city.
The Fur-Bearer Defenders, an organization who promote co-existence with wildlife will be on Wits and Pieces on Rogers Television in Ontario tonight from 7 to 7:30 pm! They will be discussing Toronto’s wildlife conflict, the City of Toronto’s plan for managing this conflict, and answering any questions viewers may have. Please watch and get involved as everyone’s views and opinions may help resolve this issue!