Why the Humane Approach Is Best for Wildlife

Why the Humane Approach?

We always get asked “why?” — “WHY not just kill or trap the animals and drive them out to the forest and let them go?”– the latter being the “more humane” approach to most people. We certainly cannot fault people for feeling this way. It’s not in most people’s best conscience to harm animals just for invading their personal space. However, we receive many requests to trap and relocate wildlife (something which we cannot legally do — and neither can you!).

“But I can drive it 1km away, that should do the trick!”. Not so fast.

A single kilometre? Studies show that there could be as many as 25-30 raccoons inside a square kilometre. Taking one raccoon away isn’t solving anything, it’s just moving the problem around and it’s bound to come right back to you. Wildlife are smart!

Besides, dropping wildlife off in unfamiliar territory puts their life in jeopardy. Unfamiliar surroundings and higher competition for limited food sources will lead to conflict and can separate mothers from their babies. This is why wildlife have become so comfortable in urban settings — there is less competition for food because there is so much of it in your garbage bags!

We homeowners are often the source of the problem. That is to say, there’s a reason that wildlife are coming and going from our homes. We store birdseed in the garage, cut doggy doors in the back, leave compost unsecured and keep a nice woodpile next to the house for mice to hide in. These are just a few examples of very common attractants that can be eliminated so that wildlife do not have any reason to spend time on your property.

That’s the name of the game — make it uncomfortable or utterly pointless to want to spend time on your property. There should be nothing there for them. Think of it like removing all of the rides, food and games from a county fair — why would anyone even come?

Killing wildlife is not something we ever suggest (Humane is in our name for a reason!), for a number of reasons:
– Doesn’t solve the problem!

• Killing mice, for example, can cause all kinds of secondary issues including smelly corpses behind walls that can attract insects and other pests.
• It doesn’t address the larger issue, which is HOW the wildlife is gaining entry to your home, or what is attracting them to your property in the first place.

That’s right — we actually have a humane way of ridding your house of mice. Ask us about it.

Your home is like a county fair for wildlife. Do some basic home maintenance and try to think like they do.