Paws ‘n’ Claws

How (not) to get rid of wildlife

April

So my mom lives in a small southern Massachusetts town in a new development that is being expanded all the time. She was one of the first houses up there and enjoyed a thick area of trees and grasses behind her, most of which has been taken down to make way for new houses.

But she still has a strip of see-through forest between her backyard and the next road. And she gets a lot of wildlife that has been relegated to that strip, including fishers, also known as fisher cats.

These are not cuddly animals. According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation Web site, fishers have sharp nails used for climbing trees and killing prey. And they have been blamed for several attacks on domestic pets including dogs, cats and rabbits.

My mom has a large dog (and my two little dogs visit often) so she was concerned enough to call her local animal control officer—who was basically no help.

The animal control officer’s award-winning idea? Get an airhorn and blast it out the window when she sees a fisher. But, the officer noted, that would probably hurt her dog’s ears so she may not want to do that.

Gee, thanks. I’m sure my mom’s glad her tax dollars are hard at work.

She’s left messages for the state’s wildlife department, but if any of you have suggestions, we’d love to hear them.

(Photo courtesy of the state Department of Environmental Conservation)

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 3:32 pm by Sarah Netter.
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3 Responses to “How (not) to get rid of wildlife”

Sue April 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
I saw one a few weeks back in my Connecticut backyard. I had no clue what it was till doing some research. Glad my Iggies do not venture outside without me.
gg May 2nd, 2008 at 10:05 am
- cathhh
gg May 2nd, 2008 at 10:06 am
- ...sullllllllshs

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