Injured Hawk Tries to Move Into High-rise
A red-tailed hawk with an injured spinal column decided to move into a balcony on the 16th floor of a high-rise apartment. It is believed that the bird injured itself attempting to fly in the window. The 10-year-old hawk was safely removed and turned over to the City of Hamilton Animal Control for evaluation. It was subsequently moved to the Open Sky Raptor Foundation, where it received some much-needed R&R.
Owls Roost in Million Dollar Home
A pair of screech owls moved into a million-dollar house that was under construction in Burlington. The construction workers said that the owls became so comfortable with humans and noise that they used the front door to gain entry and roosted in the roof vents at night. Unfortunately, when it came time to insulate and drywall, the new tenants had to move into less expensive digs. HWC removed them safely and the house was sealed to prevent re-entry.
Snapping Turtle Ignorant that Hitchhiking is Fatal for Tortoises
How long does it take a snapping turtle to cross the road? Too long. These creatures often cross roads in search of a safe place to lay their eggs, 90% of which are usually eaten by raccoons, skunks and foxes before they hatch. We have been called out to remove many turtles from roadways, including Midland Painted Turtles and Blanding’s Turtles, as motorists come across them. If you see one of these hard-shelled hitchhikers, carefully place them across the road (in the direction they were going) or call us and we’ll risk getting snapped!
Raccoon Drops in for Lunch at “Wild” Restaurant
Several people were enjoying lunch on the patio at a Montana’s Restaurant in Hamilton, Ontario and looked up to find a raccoon staring down at them from the rafters. We were called and immediately cleared the patio to ensure there were no injuries and to minimize damage. We retrieved the curious raccoon with the lasso and let her go in a nearby grassed area. When we walked through the front door and noticed the “All Wildlife Welcome” sign hanging on the wall, we got a bit of a chuckle.
Chipmunks Found in Attic
When called out to what was thought to be a red squirrel problem in a homeowners attic, we saw a chipmunk run out of the gable leading into the attic. Chipmunks normally dig nests or burrows at ground level, where they hibernate for the winter. Either this guy liked high-rise living or the heavy snowfall forced him to move to higher ground. He’s also usually asleep this time of year. In 20 years, we’ve never seen chipmunk behaviour like this.
First Raccoon Babies of 2008 Take a Bath
Check out this amazing news story from March 27, 2008.
Hello, It’s Your Snakes Calling
Over the course of a year, workers at an office in Parkhill, Ontario had seen snakes slither through cracks in the foundation and even arrived in the morning to find them on their desks and floor. They called Humane Wildlife Control when they realized they had an infestation and the sound of scurrying in the roof finally got to them. This was likely the sound of the snakes capturing mice as the shuffling was often followed by a quick rolling sound. HWC found five snakes huddled in a phone box in the wall, which they were drawn to for warmth.
Dogs Alert Owner to Slithering Intruders
A dog breeder was alerted to a problem in her living room when the dogs began barking incessantly. She stepped into the room and saw a snake slithering out from under the baseboard. This had happened 2-3 times over the past year and the woman had considered it to be an isolated incident. But when six more snakes appeared in that same weekend, she called Humane Wildlife Control to get them out. The technician identified them as Eastern Milk Snakes, which are a specially protected species under the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.
School 1, Owl 0
A school called Humane Wildlife Control to remove a great horned owl that was caught in one of their soccer nets. The technician donned thick protective gloves and removed the owl carefully from the net. But before it flew away, it decided to stick its talons into the technician’s leg. Thankfully, both human and owl escaped unharmed. Read the full story.
Python In The Toilet
After waking up one morning, a woman proceeded to the bathroom, lifted the toilet lid and found a snake staring up at her. After trying to flush it down to no avail, she called the building superintendent, who in turn called Humane Wildlife Control. When the technician arrived, the snake was nowhere to be found, so he held the handle down for about 20 seconds. With a spray of water hitting it in the face, the snake swam into the toilet bowl. As a snake owner himself, the technician recognized it as a ball python, and it measured about 14 inches in length and 1.5 inches around. His guess was that someone in the apartment building had the snake for a pet and it had fallen into the toilet and swam into the poor woman’s bathroom. No one reported the snake missing (most apartment buildings prohibit reptiles) and it was taken to a good home to live out the rest of its 20 to 30 years.
Kitchen “Hoot”
A woman in the Niagara Region of Ontario came home at the end of the day to find an owl perched on the cupboards in her kitchen. Having a phobia of birds, she immediately ran out of the house and called Humane Wildlife Control from a payphone. We were able to capture the bird and delivered it to the local SPCA. The screech owl has fallen down the chimney.
Indoor Tent
When we arrived at the home, the mother and children were sleeping in a tent in the middle of the living room in order to protect themselves from the bat that had been flying around their bedrooms and hallways.
No Monkey Business
A mother and two baby snow monkeys escaped from a private zoo in St. Catharines. Over the course of the following few months, Humane Wildlife Control received calls from concerned residents about monkeys running across the road and swinging from trees – an unlikely sight in Canada! We eventually received a call from the Ontario Ministry of Health asking that the monkeys be captured – one of the juvenile males was becoming dominant and biting local residents. When we arrived at a residence where the retired couple had been feeding them, the man came out with a hockey stick to fend off the female who was trying to mate with him. This gave us an idea as to how to catch them – out in the open it was impossible. We used the man to lure the mother monkey into the garage and eventually trapped her. The babies came to investigate and we managed to catch them as well. All three monkeys were transported to a private zoo near Peterborough, Ontario to live out their days.
Entangled Hair
A customer called asking for help with three bats flying around their house. When we arrived, we found the entire family (mother, father, children and grandparents) on the front lawn with plastic bags taped to their heads. They didn’t want the bats flying in their hair.
Raccoon With Its Head In A Jar
We were called out to a house where the homeowner was asking for help with a raccoon. The city’s animal control department was unable to help him. When we arrived, we saw the raccoon high up in a tree with its head stuck in a mayonnaise jar. We managed to climb up to the raccoon and remove him from the tree. We used a hammer to lightly break the jar off his head, after which he immediately ran back to the tree with his front paw on his head. No joking!
Cottage Visitors
A man was opening his cottage outside of Montreal in the Spring and found a snake slithering across the living room floor. He called us to remove the snake, and when we arrived we found two dozen baby garter snakes nested in the corner of the kitchen. We moved them to a rocky area outside where they could find shelter. The owner was very relieved to have his uninvited guests removed!
The Invisible Bat
We were called in to remove a bat from a hospital room. After four hours of searching a room containing only a bed, chair, night stand and light, we were not able to locate the bat. This proves that bats can hide in very small spaces, such as baseboards and behind walls, and are often very difficult to locate. Eventually, we found the bat, after removing the baseboard.
