Living Harmoniously with Wildlife

—by William McIntosh

The deep winter months are now upon us! At this time of year, most of us would rather be in a more southern climate or hidden away someplace heated and wind free. Most animals are of the same opinion. Having found or prepared a lodging or den site, most animals are currently avoiding the cold as effectively as they can. Often people have questions about winter and wildlife, and here are some of our most asked questions (and answers!):

Q: Is winter your busiest season?
A: No, it is not. In fact, it’s the slowest season of the year. Animals have already secured their home for the winter by the time snow flies. Which is why, as a side note, it’s important to have your home protected when fall arrives as all sorts of creatures will be looking to hunker down there for the winter.

Q: All mammals hibernate for the winter, right?
A: No, actually, they do not. Most mammals do hide out during the winter. However, most don’t truly hibernate, and some don’t hibernate at all. Squirrels, in particular, are out and about all winter. Even on the coldest of days they scurry around, hunting for their food caches. Raccoons and skunks on the cold days enter what is known as a ‘Torpid State’, which is somewhat similar to hibernation. Unlike true hibernation where the animal doesn’t awaken till spring, the torpid state allows the animals to sleep until a sporadic warm day occurs. Then, they will awake and resume their normal activities of hunting for food and eventually breeding later on in the winter.

Q: If mammals mostly don’t hibernate, which ones do?
A: Bats are the only small mammal that truly hibernate in Ontario. Due to that, bats can potentially hibernate in your home if they gained entry during the warmer seasons. This is why, on occasion, people may suddenly have a bat in their home during the coldest months of January and February! 

This can occur when colder weather causes the bats to shift towards a warmer section of the house, leading them to potential areas that can cause them to pop out into the living space of the house. As the bat’s body temperature rises to room temperature, fully awakening the bat, this causes it to look for a way out. If you have a bat issue, do not wait until later, always contact a professional wildlife company to come and assess.

Once they are in hibernation, there’s no way to remove all of the bats until they awake again in the spring. Those that may awake due to the above-mentioned circumstance have to be taken to a wildlife centre, otherwise they will perish outdoors with no proper shelter.

Q: If an animal is removed from my house, will the animal survive?
A: Yes. The majority of animals have multiple homes or burrows that they have access to. When they are removed from one, they simply head to a backup home. The only animal that aren’t capable of finding another home during the winter are bats. They must be taken to an animal shelter where the shelter will put them into cool storage to induce artificial hibernation, then fed bi-weekly until the weather is warm enough for their survival to be insured.