Living Harmoniously with Nature —by Will McIntosh

Story Time:
The ingenuity
of wild animals

featuring some clever racoons

In my line of work, things can sometimes get monotonous. Spraying the same buildings twice a month, implementing an Integrated Pest Management Program at the same business monthly, or inspecting the same sites for any changes or variations on the premises to the previous visit.

Now working with wild animals, more often than not, you can anticipate and plan for what that specific species is going to do. However, there are other times that things can get really exciting, really fast!

When we get to a call, there are several important steps involved:

• Identify the critter causing the ruckus
• Decipher where the animal is gaining access into the building
• Come up with a course of action to determine how to get it out, and
• Prevent its re-entry

It’s Story Time…

On this particular day, we arrived at a small cottage and first things first, we inspected the building. The customer had stated that they had heard a noise in the attic, and it sounded like something large. After pouring over the building, starting at the top and working down, we discovered no entry holes or damage to the cottage, anywhere. So, we turned our attention to surveying under the cottage, seeing as how it was on pillars only. Under there we found fresh signs of raccoons: fur, scat, and footprint. We realized that this raccoon was crawling up a gap in the inner wall and gaining access to their attic!

So, the first two steps had been determined and cleared, but step three is where things got tricky. The portion of the cottage the raccoon was gaining access to was completely inaccessible to any of our personnel. We concluded that we had to screen around the entire cottage to create a barrier between the underside of the cottage and the outside world.

After several days, the screening was complete. Part two of step three was now in play: providing a way out for our wayward little friend, and keep him out, hereafter. So, we installed a one-way door on the screen, which is normal protocol, and set up a motion camera to capture anything that might happen. These photos would be sent via satellite to our devices, wherever we were.

The first thing we discovered is there was not one, but two raccoons, and one used the one-way door to get out, but the second one absolutely refused to go out through the door. So, we went up the next day to determine what happened. Why would it not leave as the first raccoon had done?

We went inside the cottage to make sure all was clear and suddenly, we stopped in our tracks. You see, the unwanted guest had decided, rather than take advantage of the door provided, that he’d find his own way, not our way! As some cottage owners and visitors know, there are cottages that aren’t completely sealed up from the attic. This critter had squeezed through a fou- inch gap at the top of the wall, slid down the wall and got into the laundry room!

What it did next left us dumbfounded. The laundry was closed off by a door to the rest of the cottage, with a standard round doorknob. The raccoon opened that door! It then continued exploring the whole cottage, leaving little dusty footprints here and there as proof of its curious exploration. Then, realizing it was no closer to leaving via the inside, it managed to climb up the wall and squeeze back where it came from! Finally, it proceeded back down the inner wall, under the cottage, pushed under the screen, and left…AND never returned! Thankfully, besides the few footprints, an open door and a knocked over broom, that raccoon left the cottage no worse than it found it.

This situation brings to light the extreme difficulty one can face in wildlife control. A certain species that seemingly is consistent in one action, suddenly will veer off and throw a curveball that was impossible to anticipate (opening doors!).

Most raccoons find the one-way door and take advantage of the opportunity to leave, but sometimes they decide to go rogue, choosing to be stubborn and take other options, wreaking havoc within the structure, and choosing another exit.

We work with animals daily, but we still can be surprised by the tenacity, strength and endurance of these creatures. So always be aware, if you have a problem with an unwanted creature, to call a professional to come out and handle it. Guaranteed, if they have experience, they’ll know what to expect to get you in the clear with as little fuss as possible…and will know what to do to counter those curveballs nature is ever fond of throwing at us!

Will is part-owner of Exit Wildlife and Pest Control, and can be reached via that website.