Wildlife

The regulation of trapping in B.C. falls under the Wildlife Act.

Removing the source that is attracting the animal — food, water and shelter — is the easiest, cheapest and most humane long-term solution to the problem.

Peaceful co-existence with our wild neighbours is most successfully achieved by allowing these animals their niche in the urban environment while taking measures to prevent them from becoming a nuisance in your home or garden.

Do’s:

• Tightly screen all access holes into buildings. Vents, gables, chimneys, eaves, and pipes are all potential entryways for wildlife to set up residence in the attic or under the home.
• Secure trash in sturdy plastic or metal cans with tightly fitting lids. If necessary, tie the lids down so they won’t become dislodged if the can is tipped over. Wait until the morning of pickup to put trash out.
• Eliminate food sources such as fallen fruit or unattended pet food, which may attract wildlife. Dog and cat water bowls, swimming pools and ponds have replaced water sources such as creeks and springs. Racoons roam neighbourhoods each night – and often during the day – looking for food. They are opportunistic feeders, dining on insects, fruits, vegetables, acorns, seeds, fish and small mammals, as well as dog and cat food and garbage that is left out overnight.
• Construct fences and walls high enough to exclude smaller animals. Generally, coyotes won’t scale a fence higher than 6 feet. Installing extenders, which angle outward, to the top of each post and running 2 or 3 strands of wire along the extenders will help ensure that these animals don’t pass over the top. To stop animals from digging under a fence, attach chicken wire to the bottom and bury it at least 6 inches deep and 6 inches outward, parallel to the ground. Burying cinder blocks around the bottom of a fence will also discourage digging. Consider ‘Coyote Rollers’ on top of fences to keep animals out of your yard.
• Clear brush, dense ground cover, wood piles, and garden debris where wildlife and rodents may be living. Reducing the rodent population will eliminate an attractive food source for coyotes and other wildlife. Eliminating convenient den and nest sites will keep generations of wildlife out of your yard.
• Protect caged animals such as chickens and rabbits. A hutch which stands above ground should have a solid bottom to prevent your pet from becoming easy prey for a coyote or raccoon. Chicken coops must be extremely secure to prevent predators from climbing over or digging under the structure. Also, remember that the dexterous hands of raccoons can undo many latches or reach into cages to grab at animals.

Source: Adapted from San Francisco Animal Care & Control

Don’ts:

• Don’t feed wildlife. Doing so will attract animals who are grateful for an easy handout.  Feeding wildlife makes them comfortable around humans and keeps them returning to areas where there is plentiful food. Once a wild animal loses its natural wariness of humans and approaches people for food, they may be removed if they pose a threat to public safety. Don’t take that chance – keep wildlife wild. Report the intentional feeding of wildlife to BC Conservation 1-844-952-7277.
• Don’t corner or try to catch a wild animal. If you come across a wild animal, keep children and pets at a safe distance and leave it alone. Odds are it wants to get away from you as badly as you want it to leave. If the animal appears injured, call Animal Care & Control for assistance.
• Don’t allow cats to roam, especially at night. They may encounter wildlife that may harm them. Keep cats indoors and dogs on leash.
• Don’t set out poison bait. The province of British Columbia protects wildlife by restricting rodenticides. Often the dead, poisoned animal will be eaten by a non-target animal, such as a hawk or your dog or cat, and in turn be poisoned themselves.
• Don’t seal an entrance hole in a building or the opening to a den site unless you are certain the animals living there are not present. Make a tracking patch by spreading a thick layer of flour in front of the entrance. When you see paw prints leading away from the opening, it’s usually safe to seal the entrance. Most animals leave their dens at dusk to search for food. If you’re uncertain of the number of animals in the nesting site, try hanging a piece of hardware cloth larger than the opening on the outside. The animals can then swing the hardware cloth outward to escape, but cannot re-enter. NEVER seal an entrance during the breeding season (usually March–June); you may trap infant wildlife too young to escape.
• Don’t try to smoke out an animal that is living in your chimney. It can easily be overcome by smoke and fall into the fire. Try placing a dish of ammonia in the base of the chimney and open the damper. The fumes should force the animal out the top. If an animal is trapped in your chimney, place a thick rope into the chimney, far enough to reach the animal, secure it at the top and leave. Most animals will scale the rope and escape. To prevent animals from getting into the chimney in the first place, instal a wire mesh cap over the top.

Source: Adapted from San Francisco Animal Care & Control

• Many animals do not like walking on an unfamiliar surface. Laying chicken wire or plastic sheeting on the ground may discourage an animal from passing through an area where it is unwelcome.
• To assist an animal which has become trapped in a window well. Lean a rough branch thick enough to support the animal’s weight into the window well. The animal can then use it to climb out.
• Prevent access to roofs, walls, and trees. Avoid planting creeping vines near walls and keep tree branches trimmed away from buildings.  Animals can nest in or damage roofs. Also, tacking sheet metal around trees or on walls will keep animals from getting the footing they need to climb. The sheet metal should be at least 2 feet wide and attached about 3 feet above ground level.
• Protect ornamental fish ponds from raccoons. Attach wire mesh (preferably a type that won’t rust) horizontally around the circumference of the pond. It should be at least one foot wide and submerged about 2 to 6 inches. Raccoons cannot reach over the mesh and because it is unstable are unlikely to try standing on it.

Source: Adapted from San Francisco Animal Care & Control

More Resources

• WildSafeBC offers information about how you can minimize attractants.
• Read information sheets about living with wildlife in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

Each fall, we receive reports of bear sightings throughout the community. Please be on the alert and take precautions to eliminate attractants around your home. This includes garbage carts, compost, BBQs, fruit trees and bird feeders, to list a few. Learn more about how to avoid attracting bears to your property.

Here are some tips:

• Keep garbage, recyclables, compost and other attractants secure – indoors is best
• Keep containers that store garbage and recycling clean and odour fee
• If you have curbside pick-up, do not place containers out until the morning of collection
• Freeze smelly items until the morning of collection 
• Remove bird feeders, pet food, and remaining vegetables in your garden or fruit on your trees

Do not feed bears. It's against the law to feed dangerous wildlife.

Remain calm. Do not run or climb a tree. Slowly back away, talking to the bear in a quiet, monotone voice. Do not scream, turn your back on the bear, kneel down or make direct eye contact.

Keep away from the bear. Do not try to get closer to it. If the bear gets too close, use pepper spray (within 7 metres) or something else to threaten or distract it.

Stay together. If you are with others, act as a group. Keep children close – pick up and carry small children.

Go indoors. Bring pets indoors if possible.

Watch the bear until it leaves. Make sure the bear has a clear escape route. After the bear is gone and it's safe, make sure there is nothing in the area that will attract bears back again.

The above  tips are from the Province of BC. The following tips are from the Province of BC. Visit their website for additional tips about how to avoid attracting bears to your yard.

Reporting a Sighting

For non-urgent sightings, try using the Wildlife Alert Reporting Program at warp.wildsafebc.com. Visit wildsafebc.com for more information and resources.

☎️ Do you know how and when to make a report about bears, cougars or other dangerous wildlife in the city? Contact the BC Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277 if you observe dangerous wildlife:

• Accessing garbage or other human supplied food sources
• Instances where wildlife cannot be easily scared off
• In a public location like a city park or school during daylight hours
• Or when a cougar or wolf is seen in an urban area

The City’s Parks team is installing bat boxes at key locations throughout the community as part of a joint initiative involving local students, the B.C. Community Bat Program and the Penticton Museum & Archives. 

The goal of this project is to promote habitat enhancement and education in our community. Bats play an important role in our local ecosystem and are major predators of pests, consuming large quantities of insects each night.

The bat boxes are so far being installed onto four existing osprey poles, which were erected in previous years with the purpose of providing nesting locations for ospreys. These can be found at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Upper Bench Road (just north of Johnson Road), Okanagan College and on the western end of Warren Avenue W.

Learn more about bats

Download a fact sheet about bats in B.C. communities

Deer are wild animals and as such can be dangerous. Do not approach deer or their fawns. Does (female deer) can be aggressive during their fawning season from May through June each year.

Mule deer bucks can be aggressive during the rut (breeding season) from November through December. If your presence creates a response from a deer, like a change in stance, ear position or physical movement, you are too close. Give the deer plenty of space – 15 to 20 metres – to either move or exit the area. Do not walk closer to the deer.

If you see a fawn on its own, please leave it alone. Babies spend the first 3-4 weeks hiding before they start to follow their mothers. Mothers will often leave their babies while they forage for food but don’t worry, they always know where their baby is hiding.

Council adopted a bylaw to prohibit feeding deer. The bylaw states you cannot provide deer with food by intentionally leaving food, food waste or other attractive edible material intended for the sole purpose of feeding deer.

For example, leaving out a bale of hay, bag of apples or other compostable food scraps on a residential lot or property where these items are not consistently being grown or produced for human consumption would be seen as an infraction of the bylaw.

There are a few techniques that can be used to protect your property from deer. A combination of landscaping with deer-resistant plants, frightening and hazing techniques and deer repellants can reduce deer damage to your yard and property.

However, adequate fencing is the most certain method to preventing damage from deer in your yard. Talk to your landscape professional or visit a local nursery to find out more about repellants and deer-resistant plants for your area.

Tips

• NO welcome mats – make your yard feel unsafe for deer. Clear brush away from the perimeter to reduce ‘cover’ and discourage bedding down areas.
• NO loitering – discourage deer from hanging around on your property. Make them feel vulnerable so they move on. Try a loud shaker can.

For more information about reducing conflict with deer, visit wildsafebc.com.

The mule deer’s key spring and winter foods include:

• Shrubs: sagebrush, bitterbrush, Douglas maple and Saskatoon
• Grasses and herbs: Douglas fir trees, balsamroot, clover and fireweed

Deer-related complaints should be directed to the Provincial Conservation Office at 1-877-952-7277.

To contact the City
Phone: 250-490-2400
Email: urbandeer@penticton.ca

1. Call B.C. Conservation 1-877-952- 7277 before approaching any animal for advice on what to do. If the animal is a bird, small mammal or reptile, visit the Okanagan Wildlife webpage. This group is licenced to rehabilitate and release wildlife in the Okanagan. 
2. Do not give the animal any food or water. Feeding an animal an incorrect diet can result in injury or death. Also, a captured animal will get food and water stuck in its fur/feathers potentially leading to discomfort and hypothermia.
3. Place the animal in an appropriately-sized, secure box with a towel or paper towel on the bottom. Make sure the box has holes in the lid.
4. Keep the animal in a warm, dark, quiet place.
5. Leave the animal alone. Remember human noise, touch and eye contact are very stressful to wild animals.
6. Keep children and pets away.

Important: Touching a baby animal will not cause its parents to reject it (this is a myth). Some young animals are more likely to be safest if left where their parents can find it.

Source: Adapted from San Francisco Animal Care & Control

Many people don’t realise that most of the baby birds they find on the ground are supposed to be there. Nestlings grow and become fledglings, which have stumpy tails and are fully feathered – but cannot yet fly. If you find a fledgling hopping on the ground, don’t pick it up. This period of being on the ground is a normal and necessary part of a bird developing the skills of survival.

The parents are still around, feeding them, showing them where to look for food, and hiding them under bushes – you may even see them in the branches or power lines above, watching their baby work. The best thing you can do is keep your dogs, cats and children away from the area for a few days. If you’ve already picked up the bird, place it back where you found it or under a nearby bush.

There are times when the fledgling does need help, such as when it’s injured or in a dangerous area, like the middle of a street. In that case, place the bird in a small, covered box or paper bag to keep it warm, dark and quiet, and bring it to a veterinarian. Minimum contact reduces stress and increases any animal’s chances of survival. Do not offer food or water! Source: Adapted from San Francisco Animal Care & Control

Is the bird injured? 

If you have found an injured bird, email or contact Interior Wildlife to see if they are able to help. Visit their website for a list of animals they can help.  This group is licenced to rehabilitate and release wildlife in Penticton and the Okanagan. You can email them at info@interiorwildlife.ca

The young of ducks, geese and many shorebirds are born with their eyes open and are able to immediately forage on their own. Ducks and geese will often leave their young for several hours; do not pick them up thinking they are abandoned – most times they are not. 

Is the bird injured? 

If you have found an injured bird, email or contact Interior Wildlife to see if they are able to help. Visit their website for a list of animals they can help.  This group is licenced to rehabilitate and release wildlife in Penticton and the Okanagan. You can email them at info@interiorwildlife.ca

Just like young birds, young squirrels frequently fall out of their nest and do not always need to be rescued. It is always in the best interest of the squirrel to be raised by its parents. If you find a young squirrel on the ground that appears healthy, place the squirrel in a small box with low sides in the location where you found the squirrel.

Put a warm blanket or a hot water bottle in the box to keep the squirrel warm. The mother will not take back a cold baby. Keep all domestic cats and dogs away from the area. Leave the box and observe from a hidden area for 3-4 hours. The mother will not approach if she feels threatened in any way. If after 3-4 hours the mother has not come to collect her young, the squirrel may need to be rescued.

If you find a young squirrel on the ground that appears healthy and the nest has been destroyed, the squirrel can still be returned to its mother. Squirrels use two or more nests concurrently throughout the year. Follow the steps above and allow the young squirrel a second chance at being raised in the wild by its mother.

Source: San Francisco Animal Care & Control

Neonatal raccoons are only left alone for a short amount of time by their mother. If you find a potentially orphaned raccoon, first gauge the situation and see if intervention is needed. Mom may be in the process of moving the family, which is very common. Watch from a distance, keep pets and children away from the area, and if she does not return within an hour or so they need your help.

If the raccoon is trapped, injured, abandoned, or appears sick, please contact Penticton Animal Control 250-492-3801 or Conservation 1-877-952-7277.

No. Orphaned wildlife requires very specialized care in order to survive to adolescence. Additionally, wild animals should remain wild and rehabilitating wild animals, with rare exceptions, is illegal for members of the public. More importantly, rehabilitating wildlife is complex.

• Specialized diets – Each animal has specific dietary needs which vary by species, age and physical condition.
• Peace and quiet – Many animals become highly stressed around humans, whom they view as predators. It is imperative that they be kept in quiet quarters.
• Education – Animals raised as orphans must be taught life skills before they are released, such as how to obtain appropriate food. This requires a knowledgeable caregiver, able to provide an appropriate environment.
• Socialization – Animals are placed in age appropriate groups with their own species. This is especially important for young animals in order to learn communication and social skills, which are necessary for their survival.
• Maintaining wild instincts – Human-animal interactions are restricted to a minimum. If animals lose their natural caution around humans and become tame, they may lose their ability to survive in the wild.
• Zoonotic diseases – Animals can be host to organisms causing diseases such as rabies, Lyme disease, salmonella, and Hantavirus.

Source: San Francisco Animal Care & Control

Exclude them from Your Property

• Fill or block all openings with durable materials, such as concrete and lumber, and use heavy, welded wire mesh to cover any vents, conduits, drains or other openings that cannot be blocked.
• Be persistent in inspecting and repairing entry points that can be reopened by gnawing rats.
• Remove potential hiding places near the house: don't stack firewood, garden supplies, equipment, etc., beside the house; thin or remove dense vegetation around the foundation.

Remove Food and Water Sources

• Store cereals and dry food in glass or metal containers and keep pet food and bird seed in sturdy, covered bins.
• Stored fresh food, such as fruit that is often kept in the garden shed or back porch, is very attractive to rodents. If possible, store produce in a refrigerator or a secure room that has heavy wire screen on any vents open to the outdoors.
• Compost kitchen waste in closed bins, such as the thick, black plastic compost bins available commercially, or in other heavy, closed containers. To be rat-proof, a home made bin must be built of wooden planks and heavy ½” welded wire mesh (not chicken wire, which rats easily chew and which mice easily pass through). Do not put meat scraps or bones in the compost bin.
• Store outdoor garbage in tightly closed, metal containers.
• Make sure bird feeders are well away from the house and that the feeder prevents excessive seed from spilling onto the ground. This is very attractive to rats, which will also gnaw into a bird feeder if they can reach it. Stop them from climbing bird feeder poles by placing a wide metal collar on the pole.
• Repair any leaking plumbing, indoors or out, to remove a water supply.

The most common rat in this area is the roof rat, sometimes called the black rat. They are agile climbers and usually live and nest in shrubs, trees and dense vegetation such as ivy. If there is food and shelter, they will gladly live in proximity to humans, particularly in attics, ceilings or walls.

They are carnivorous and will eat nearly all types of food, including pet food, garbage, food scraps in compost, fallen fruit and nuts, and bird seed.

Snap traps: These are a swift, humane way of killing a rat instantly. They are also recommended for the control of rats. Excellent bait options include a piece of dried fruit or peanut butter.

Poison: Effective July 21, 2021 the Province has restricted the use of rodenticides to protect wildlife and other domestic animals often killed from the poison.

Live Traps: These are also available and very effective. If using a live trap appeals to you because it seems more humane, consider what you will do with the live rat or mouse you have trapped.

Biological Control: Many cats are naturally excellent mousers, but not all cats are interested in catching mice. Some cats do catch rats, but a cornered adult rat can seriously injure a cat.

Ultrasound Repellers: There are several devices on the market that emit ultrasound waves to repel rodents. Although rodents will avoid the area initially, they apparently get used to the sound and learn that there is no harm associated with it.

Hire a Pest Control Company: Call in the experts to get rid of the pests in a humane and environmentally friendly manner.

Here are some ways to deter raccoons from your property.

Scatter pepper

Spices like cinnamon, black pepper or cayenne pepper bother a raccoon’s sense of smell. Try mixing cayenne pepper and onion in boiling water to create a natural raccoon repellant. You’ll need to spray your yard and area surrounding the house at least twice a week and anytime it rains.

Soak rags in ammonia

Raccoons hate the smell of ammonia, so you can deter them by placing it around your property. Soak rags in ammonia and place them under your house, in the bottom of garbage cans and at the bottom of trees in your yard.

Place mothballs around your house

If you think you may have a raccoon in your attic or under your home, placing mothballs will help drive the rodents out of your space. However, if left for long periods of time, the odor will start to soak into the surface and walls of the area, making you and the rodent both want to leave.

Call Pest Control

If all else fails and you start seeing raccoons and other rodents like squirrels, call a pest control company.

Credit: Content adapted from Apple Pest Control.

If have questions about living with wildlife, contact Penticton Animal Care & Control.

If you need immediate assistance with injured or ill wildlife in distress, contact the B.C. Conservation Officer Service RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.