Protect Your Home in Toronto From Wildlife
Ontario’s capital, Toronto, is Canada’s largest city, situated along the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. Known as one of the most diverse cities in the world due to a consistent influx of immigrants from around the world, Toronto is an international hub for business, arts, and finance. Despite rapid growth and an increasingly dense population, the city is also home to a wide range of wildlife species.
Toronto Wildlife
Some of the more well known and most commonly seen wildlife species include raccoons, squirrels, skunks, bats, and many species of birds. Unlike other wildlife species, these animals do not rely on specific ecological environments or habitat niches to survive and have successfully adapted to life in the city. In fact, cities like Toronto offer many of the things wildlife need to thrive, namely abundant food sources, plenty of shelter and an absence of predators.
Today’s City of Toronto was built on land that was covered with forests and wetlands. Many of those forests were cleared to make way for agriculture and later for intense urban development in the form of roads, sidewalks, railways and buildings. The city is also home to an extensive network of deep ravines that run north – south, with creeks and rivers like the Humber, Don and Rouge draining into Lake Ontario. While some of these ravines were transformed or buried through industrialization and development, many were spared and today they represent a significant portion of Toronto’s urban tree canopy. These green space corridors provide shelter and travel routes for many urban animals.
Over recent centuries the types of wild animals found in what is now Toronto has changed. Native species, well adapted to the relatively new urban landscape, like raccoons, squirrels and skunks have flourished while species like moose, wolves and lynx populations disappeared entirely. Invasive species, like rats and house mice, brought by settlers have also found a home in Toronto’s urban fabric.
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The Need for Humane Solutions to Wildlife Conflicts
Toronto is in many ways a concrete jungle, but that has not prevented it from developing a unique and complex biodiversity. The relationship between the city and its urban wildlife could best be described as complicated. Toronto residents welcome blue jays and cardinals to their yards with bird feeders while lamenting increasing rat populations. Squirrels offer backyard entertainment with their incredible agility and climbing skills but can also wreak havoc on gardens.
Perhaps there is no more complicated relationship when it comes to wildlife than that between Toronto residents and raccoons. The CN Tower is certainly the city’s most iconic landmark but the animal most often associated with Toronto is the raccoon. Some studies have suggested there are as many as 100 raccoons per square kilometre in some parts of the city, making Toronto the unofficial raccoon capital of North America. Active at night, and armed with a seemingly fearless attitude toward humans, raccoons topple garbage bins, destroy lawns in search of grubs and invade attics looking for shelter. In 2016, the City of Toronto spent $31 million designing and distributing “raccoon proof” green bins to residents to help combat the problem.
Challenging as the relationship might be, one thing is clear, urban wildlife in Toronto is here to stay. One of the most common and expensive conflicts between residents and wildlife is when they make their way into your home or property. It is not possible to trap all of Toronto’s nuisance animals and take them away. Without a one-size-fits all solution, Toronto homeowners need the expertise and training of wildlife removal professionals.
Skedaddle’s Approach to Wildlife Control
Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control was founded in 1989 with the purpose of providing homeowners with humane and effective solutions to their wildlife problems. When wildlife makes its home in your attic, walls or chimney it can be incredibly stressful. These situations can lead to unsanitary conditions and thousands of dollars in home damage. When faced with this problem, trust our trained technicians to remove the wildlife humanely, clean up the mess they have left behind and prevent their re-entry.
Call Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control
If you are in need of wildlife removal services, contact our Toronto Skedaddle Wildlife Control team today. Never attempt to handle or remove wildlife on your own. Our team has the experience and expertise to remove wildlife safely, humanely, and effectively. It all begins with a thorough inspection of your property to develop a customized removal, clean up and prevention plan to ensure your home is protected. Call us today to schedule a visit.
