Wildlife Articles

Who to call about dangerous wildlife or strays
Wild Animal and Aggressive Stray Pet Sightings
Bat Rabies and Dog Bites
Avoid Intrusive Critter Nesting
Tarantula Mating Season
Black Widow Spiders
Feeding the Food Chain
Coyotes on the prowl
Aggressive Bird Behavior
Dealing with Skunks, Raccoons, and Opossums

Links to wildlife sites

Emergency Fish and Game Dispatch for Threatening Wildlife: (916) 445-0045
Website page for contact list based on subject matter:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/direc/contact.html

California State Fish and Game Dept.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/direc/contact.html

Skunks
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/1808/47.PDF

Opossums
http://www.mastergardeners.org/resources/animals/opossums.html
http://www.fundwildlife.org/coexist/opossums.html
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/a_closer_look_at_wildlife/opossums.html

Raccoons
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74116.html
http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/racoon.htm

Coyotes
http://www.mdia.org/coyotes.htm
http://www.395.com/index.shtml?/generalinfo/coyote.shtml

Mountain Lions
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lion/

Wild Pigs
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/wild/pdf/wildlife/WILD_PIGS.PDF
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/pig/

Bobcats
http://www.desertusa.com/april96/du_bcat.html
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/plaza/abf90/bobcat.htm

Rattlesnakes
http://www.desertusa.com/may96/du_rattle.html
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/snake.html

Who to call about dangerous wildlife or strays

For problems on your private property: for pests that are not a danger to humans, look in the yellow pages for animal control companies.

City of San Jose Emergency 911 Services: for threats to humans from animals
From your cell phone call 408-277-8911 (if you dial 911 from your cell phone you get California Highway Patrol, so this is direct 911 service to San Jose Police):

This is the San Jose City Police and Fire Dept, and they deal with any human emergency or injury. If someone has been attacked, injured, or threatened by animals, the city will coordinate with the proper animal control agency listed below to contain and control the animal. For very dangerous animals call 911 or from your cell phone call 408-277-8911 (if you dial 911 from your cell phone you get California Highway Patrol, so this is direct 911 service to San Jose Police) with the time and location of any sightings of distressed animals like aggressive, wounded or rabid dogs, dying bats (think "rabies"), dead birds (think "West Nile Virus") or any very large sick or injured wild animals (deer, wild boar, mountain lion).

California State Fish and Game Dept.
General DFG Phone Number, Sacramento Office - (916) 445-0411
Monterrey Ecological Reserve Office: (831) 649-7191
Carrie Wilson, Marine Biologist, cwilson@dfg.ca.gov
Emergency Dispatch for Threatening Wildlife: (916) 445-0045
Website page for contact list based on subject matter:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/direc/contact.html

The Fish and Game Department responds to highly dangerous wild animals endangering human life, such as attacking mountain lions or wild boar, but not to animals damaging property, like a large family of wild pigs who are damaging your yard or common area but are not threatening anyone. The Fish and Game Dept. provides depredation permits to control animals that damage property such as coyotes that kill farm animals.

The Mission of the Department of Fish and Game is to manage California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.

The Department of Fish and Game headquarters is located in the Sacramento Valley-Central Sierra Region in the County of Sacramento in the City of Sacramento at 1416 9th Street.

City of San José /Milpitas Dept. of Animal Care and Services
Department of Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services
4 North Second Street, Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95113
Tel: (408) 277- 4661
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/animalsvc.htm

Animal Care and Services: (408) 578-7297
Licensing : (408) 501-2134

Animal Care will come out for confined stray animals, unconfined stray dog sightings, strays and wild animals that are sick, injured or vicious (posing a threat to humans or animals), and large dead wild animals. The Animal Care and Services (ACS) division oversees all animal related issues for the City of San José and Milpitas.

ACS Responsibilities
Securing dangerous or stray animals
Handling barking dog complaints
Animal Licensing
Facilitating the retrieval of injured or dead animals
Dog attacks (jointly investigated with San José Police Department)

SAN JOSE ANIMAL CARE CENTER

2750 Monterey Road, San José, CA 95111
(located between Tully Road and Lewis Road)
(408) 578-PAWS (7297)

Hours of Operation
Closed Mondays
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Humane Society Silicon Valley
2530 Lafayette Street
Santa Clara, CA 95050
408-727-3383
http://www.hssv.org/

Hours:
Incoming Animals
24 hours a day; 365 days a year.
Adoptions Viewing Hours:
Monday - Friday 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Call 727-3383 x856 to schedule an appointment to ADOPT a pet.

This is an animal shelter that is open 24 hours a day for drop-off and pick-up of lost pets, and adoption of cats, dogs, and rabbits.

Our Mission

To promote value and respect for animal life by connecting people and pets through education and technology.

Santa Clara County Vector Control District
976 Lenzen Avenue
San Jose, California 95126
(408) 792-5010 or (800) 675-1155
(408) 298-6356 fax
http://www.sccgov.org/site/0,4760,sid%253D262810,00.html

They deal only with critters that can pass diseases on to humans. They will trap skunks, raccoons, or opossums only if they have taken up residence in your roof or foundation. They will advise you on how to control rodents and will I.D. most insects (African bees, spiders, mosquitoes, etc).

Santa Clara County Vector Control District's mission is to detect and minimize vector-borne diseases, to abate mosquitoes, and to assist the public in resolving problems with rodents, wildlife, and insects of medical significance. Primary services include:

Detection of the presence/prevalence of vector borne disease through planned tests, surveys and samples
Inspection and treatment of known mosquito and rodent sources
Response to customer initiated service requests for identification, advisory, and/or control measures for mosquitoes, rodents, wildlife, and miscellaneous invertevreates (ticks, yellowjackets, cockroaches, bees, fleas, flies, etc.)
Promotion of public awareness through outreach and educational services

Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies

Wild Animal and Aggressive Stray Pet Sightings

Besides the usual turkey, deer, skunk, and bobcats that wander through our community, occasionally residents spot animals in strange situations that merit alerting the residents or authorities. These situations have all happened in this development:

Farm steer that have gotten outside their fences and are wandering onto our streets,
Adult boars (or whole families of wild pigs) that are tromping through the neighborhoods and grazing in private yards.
Mountain lions relaxing on the golf course, or their cubs jumping into backyards.
Dead or dying bats infected with rabies lying within range of dogs or children.
Aggressive stray dogs running loose.
Coyotes, sometimes in couples or groups, coming near homes, people, or pets.
Rattlesnakes holed up in or around your home.

Depending on the situation, it may be appropriate to call either animal control authorities or even 911 if the danger is immediate. Numbers are listed above for various agencies, depending on the type of animal and the situation. Provide authorities with an accurate description of the animal and the situation, along with the time and location. If appropriate, notify the main gate so they can send out a security vehicle to track the animal’s whereabouts until Animal Services arrives. The Fish and Game Dept. will respond to serious dangers like animals with rabies, injuries, or aggressive behavior, located in or near homes, but they do not respond to sightings of transient wildlife in relatively uninhabited areas.

If you feel your sighting should be posted on the website immediately to notify other residents of possible risk, send an email to wildlife-alert@scvcchoa.com with a description of the animal, location, time and date, conditions, and reason for concern.

Bat Rabies and Dog Bites

According to Laurel Trost, Animal Service Officer-Investigator of the San Jose Animal Care and Services Dept., the discovery of rabies in San Jose is not unusual, particularly when related to bats. Occasionally dead or dying bats are discovered by pets or children, who are tempted to touch the animal. Most of the recent human rabies cases in the US have been caused by rabies virus from bats, and there have been numerous rabid bats found in the Bay Area in recent years. Bats are common here.

What is rabies and how do people get it?
Rabies is a potentially fatal virus that can be spread between animals and to humans. Most mammals can spread the disease but it is most often spread by bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks, and coyotes. Rabies is most commonly spread by bites, which are often tiny and hard to see. It is also possible, but rare, that people may get rabies if infectious material from a rabid animal, such as saliva, gets directly into their eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound.

No bite evidence.
Recently a man in Chico died of rabies without ever knowing he was infected, but the autopsy revealed bat rabies in his brain. The Center for Disease Control cites a similar story of a 4-year-old child whose bedroom was invaded by a bat, and who later died of rabies without any obvious evidence of a bite.

What can you do to protect your pet?
Because of the seriousness of this disease, it is required by law to have your pet vaccinated against the disease. Even if your pet never goes outdoors, it is very wise to be sure you and your pet are protected from rabies. Get your pet vaccinated regularly. Your veterinarian will advise you when the shots are necessary. The first rabies vaccine is given during your pet's first year of life. A booster follows one year later, then every 3 years.

Treatment.
Tens of thousands of people are successfully treated each year after being bitten by an animal that may have rabies. A few people die of rabies each year in the United States, usually because they do not recognize the risk of rabies from the bite of a wild animal and do not seek medical advice.

What should I do if I come in contact with a bat?
If you are bitten by a bat -- or if infectious material (such as saliva) from a bat gets into your eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound -- wash the affected area thoroughly and get medical advice immediately. Whenever possible, the bat should be captured for rabies testing.

How can I tell if a bat has rabies?
Rabies can be confirmed only in a laboratory. However, any bat that is active by day, is found in a place where bats are not usually seen (for example, in a room in your home or on the lawn), or is unable to fly, is far more likely than others to be rabid. Such bats are often the most easily approached. Therefore, it is best never to handle any bat. To keep kids and pets away from a prone bat, Officer Trost advises that you put a ventilated container over the bat and weight it down with something. Call the Animal Care and Services Dept. immediately at 654-5875, and they will come out and get the animal.

What should I do if my pet is exposed to a bat?
If you think your pet or domestic animal has been bitten by a bat, contact a veterinarian and SJ ACSD at 654-5875 for assistance immediately and have the bat tested for rabies. Remember to keep vaccinations current for cats, dogs, and other animals.

What if a neighborhood cat or dog bites me?
You should seek medical evaluation for any animal bite. In California all dog bites are required by law to be reported to the ACSD at 654-5875, and animals may be quarantined in their residence for 10 days for rabies observation. However, rabies is uncommon in dogs, cats, and ferrets in the United States. Very few bites by these animals carry a risk of rabies.

Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies

American Veterinary Medical Association
http://www.avma.org/pubhlth/rabcont.asp

American Pet Association
http://www.apapets.com/rabies.htm

Avoid Intrusive Critter Nesting

Spring is nesting season for most of the animals that live in the hills and creeks around our homes, so this is the time of year when rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and skunks are most likely to invade your home looking for a safe, dry place to bear their young. Since most of these animals are nocturnal, a mother may find and build a nest at night and have her babies by morning. Once the babies are born, getting rid of the mother may be nearly impossible. Skunks, raccoons, and opossums are all important to the local food chain, however, they can be annoying pests and even dangerous if confronted. All of these animals have similar habits and habitats:

Favorite nesting sites are any dark, protected location with nearby water (such as fountains, ponds, dog dishes, or mud puddles). Sites include: garages, cars, attics, crawl spaces, balconies (with roof access), storm drains, storage sheds, hot tub enclosures, under decks, BBQ cabinets, woodpiles, dense shrubbery, holes dug for landscaping or construction use, and even piles of construction and landscaping supplies.
They are omnivorous night feeders and hungry moms especially love an easy meal like pet food, and garbage.
All can carry rabies, a deadly viral disease transmitted through the bite of an infected animal.
All can carry canine distemper, a virus that does not affect humans but is fatal to cats and dogs.
The larger animals (skunks, raccoons, opossums) are about the size of large cats; they are bold, generally not afraid of humans, and if confronted can injure pets and people. They can destroy gardens, garbage cans, garages, homes, cars, BBQ storage areas, and fish ponds.
Never get between a mom and her babies. Back away and give mom time to move them, and then seal entrances to the nest.

Never corner these animals. Poisoning animals other than vermin is illegal, but for information on trapping, contact animal control companies in the phone book or check out the website for:

California State Fish and Game Dept. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/direc/contact.html

Roof rats http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/Avian/pfs23.htm

http://www.motherearthnews.com/do_it_yourself/2004_October_November/Rodent_proof_your_House

Photo from this site.

(Ron Austing/Wildlife/Photo)

Tarantula Mating Season

October is the mating season for tarantulas in the hills around our homes. Normally we don’t see tarantulas because they forage for insects at night. They live and hunt within 10-20 feet of their den, usually an abandoned mouse burrow. However, during mating season, you may see males wandering for miles across fields, yards, streets and driveways looking for a mate.

Males are usually 8—10 years old when they become sexually mature, and they are killed by the female in the mating ritual, or they die soon after. The females live 20—25 years. Tarantulas are territorial, so they will protect the area around their den by waving their front legs in the air when threatened. Humans are rarely bitten with their venomous fangs. The bite is about equal to a bee sting, and is never fatal.

The tarantula body is about 4” across including the legs, usually brown to gray, with large hairy bodies and stubby hairy legs. Females keep eggs in a giant silk cocoon with her at all times. Once newborns emerge, some may be eaten by mom.

Links for more information:
http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_taran.html

Male Tarantula with cricket

Habitat

The tarantula prefers to live in dry, well-drained soil. If the soil is suitable, the female digs a deep burrow which she lines with silk webbing. This helps prevent sand and dirt from trickling in. Otherwise, she hides in cracks in logs and under any loose-lying debris.

A femali and male tarantula

Black Widow Spiders

By comparison to tarantulas, female black widow spiders are much smaller, only 1-2 inches across, with a shiny black bulbous body and comparatively long hairless black shiny legs. They hang upside down from their tough, irregular cobweb-mesh web, usually in dark, dry protected places like inside in-ground encasements, or under garage cabinets, kitchen sinks, BBQ storage areas, seat and wall ledges, woodpiles, pool and garden equipment, and bushes. The bite of a female black widow can cause 48 hours of pure agony in adults and can kill children or weak adults and pets. The smaller male spider is brown and harmless. Unlike tarantulas, female black widows rarely kill the male unless they are hungry.

If you are bitten, stay calm and call 911 immediately; do not try to drive by yourself to a doctor. The effects are immediate, debilitating, and painful. Always wear gloves when gardening or reaching into or underneath dark storage areas, utility and meter boxes, crawl spaces, and sheltering plants. Kill any black widow spider you see before they have a chance to breed. Tiny babies spread by drifting through the air on ballooning webs.

Links for more information:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061A.htm

Female black widow spider with egg sac.

http://www.desertusa.com/july97/du_bwindow.html

Feeding the Food Chain

Spring is a great time to watch wildlife, and one way to attract interesting birds and critters is to feed them. However, every time birdseed drops to the ground or your pet’s food is left outside, you are feeding an entire food chain of wildlife. The birdseed attracts mice and rats that welcome a steady food supply, so they nest in your yard. Families of rodents attract snakes, who may follow the mice into your garage and house.

Pet food (even a few scattered crumbs) and garbage cans overflowing with pizza boxes and food containers will attract not only rodents but opossums, skunks, ground squirrels, raccoons, and coyotes.

All wildlife like an easy meal, and once they find a dependable food source like your garbage can, BBQ cupboards, or bird feeder, they will return over and over for more. They come not just to feed but to hunt, to dig, to nest, to poop, to bring fleas and ants, to multiply, and to protect their territory from “invaders” like you and your family. A new mom will defend her litter of babies viciously, so once a nest is established, watch out!

There are many homeowners here who have already lost pets to coyotes, or had a dog’s ear chewed off through the iron fence, or had a pet bitten by a rattlesnake. Garages get invaded, rodents are everywhere, and there seems no way to stop them. But look around to see how you are feeding them and housing them with protected shelters. Then, eliminate those conveniences, and line the bottom 2-3 feet of your iron fence with ½ or ¼ inch wire screen, sunk below ground, to deter rodents. It beats having unwanted critters in your cupboards.

http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/mammals/pero-man.html

Photo courtesy Dr. Lloyd Glenn Ingles
California Academy of Sciences

Coyotes on the prowl

From dusk to dawn coyotes are actively hunting prey in the hills around our homes, so it is not unusual for people walking, jogging, and golfing to run into coyotes during their hunt. Recently, several close encounters with lone coyotes in St. George and Crowne Point areas as late as 11 in the morning have unnerved residents.

In fact, close encounters have been reported in parks throughout the peninsula, according to the San Jose Mercury News on Feb. 8, resulting in some attacks. One woman was bitten, and three hikers had their clothes torn when they turned and ran from a coyote. When coyotes attack humans, park rangers are forced to trap and kill the animals, so to avoid killing coyotes unnecessarily, rangers are closing off parks to people during the coyote’s food hunting hours to prevent confrontations.

What to do if you are confronted:
Do not encourage the animals or assume they are tame.
Don’t feed them, or let them eat out of your pet’s dishes.
Do not turn your back and do not run away.
Make noise, wave arms or jackets, and try to look big.
Back away slowly, and leave the area calmly.
Report the encounter to 911 and the HOA.

Preventative measures: Don’t leave pets or pet food outside at night.
Don’t leave small children outside unmonitored.
Don’t leave garage doors or other doors open.
Keep garbage can lids on tight.
Look around carefully before stepping outside after dark.
Walk and golf in large, noisy groups, and stay together.
Stay away from the creek areas, especially children.

Links to more information:
http://www.mdia.org/coyotes.htm

Aggressive Bird Behavior

Spring bird nesting can be a bit messy and noisy, but it is usually fun to observe. However, a few birds have seasonal aggressive behavior patterns that stem from their territorial need to protect their domain. Robins are notorious for doing body slams into windows when they mistake their reflection for a rival; the sound of continuous crashes into your windows for hours and days, starting near dawn, can make the most ardent bird lover crazy. Some blackbirds are also territorial, nesting in groups in trees and then divebombing any person, pet, or animal that passes by.

The only certain solution to these problems is to prevent the nests from being built by putting up barriers or taking down the nests. It’s OK to disrupt nest building; the birds will just start again somewhere else. A barrier like chicken wire or wads of plastic sheeting or netting placed around an area that birds habitually nest in will discourage them. A strong stream of water can knock down high treetop nests. Ducks nesting in ponds and pools can be discouraged by floating beach balls and other pool toys in the water. Streamers, windchimes and whirlygigs can scare off birds.

Once a nest is occupied by eggs, you may have to put up with parental protection behavior, because most birds are protected by federal law and it is against the law to disturb the nest. Luckily most hatchlings are only in the nest 3-4 weeks.

Dealing with Skunks, Raccoons, and Opossums

Skunks, raccoons, and opossums are among the most common animals found around Silver Creek and are important to the local food chain. However, they can be annoying pests and even dangerous if confronted. All of these animals have similar habits and habitats:

they are omnivorous night feeders, eating insects, vegetation, rodents and small mammals, bird eggs, dog food, and garbage
they nest in creek banks, trees, garages, attics, crawl spaces, under hot tubs, under decks, in tool sheds, in storm drains, any place with some protection and water nearby (including fountains, ponds, dog dishes, or mud puddles)
they can destroy gardens, garbage cans, garages and homes, cars, and they can make short work of a well-stocked pond
all can carry rabies, a deadly viral disease transmitted through the bite of an infected animal
all can carry canine distemper, a virus that does not effect humans but is fatal to cats and dogs
about the size of large cats, these animals are generally not afraid of humans, and if confronted can injure pets and people

The best control is prevention. Discourage these animals from inhabiting your yard by:

removing all pet food and dropped bird seed;
picking up fallen fruit, nuts, and seeds from plants;
enclosing all garbage and debris;
strapping down garbage can lids;
keeping house, garage, and pet doors closed;
repairing damaged vent screens around the base of the house; and
enclosing areas under decks down 1 foot below soil level.

Keep trees and vegetation 24 inches away from the roof line to prevent roof access. Ammonia soaked rags placed in bowls around the yard discourage animals from nesting in those areas.

Never corner these animals. Poisoning animals other than vermin is illegal, but for information on trapping, contact animal control companies in the phone book or check out the website for:

California State Fish and Game Dept.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/direc/contact.html

Skunks and their control
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/1808/47.PDF

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74118.html

How to Manage Pests

Pests in Landscapes and Gardens
Two species of skunk are found in California, the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), which is the most commonly found species, and the spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis). Both are members of the weasel family and are equipped with a powerful and protective scent gland that can shoot a potent and pungent liquid as far as 6 to 10 feet. The secretion is acrid enough to cause nausea and can produce severe burning and temporary blindness if it strikes the eyes.

http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/skunk.htm

Striped Skunk
_{Mephitis mephitis}

Description - The size of this noxious odoured creature is similar to that of a housecat. It has a small, black head with a white stripe between the eyes and two broad white stripes which meet at the shoulders of its black back. The tail is black with a white tip or fringe.