1st Response Wildlife - Tucson's Humane Animal Trapping & Removal Services

Animal Removal & Relocation ~ Raccoons

Raccoon Family Transitional Release

Full grown raccoons (Procyon lotor)-Spanish name, “el mapache,” in and around your home, can be quite a nuisance.   When, a mother decides to make your place, her place to deliver and raise her young, things can get really problematic.  Holes in your roof, under your porch or in your shed, noises in your chimney, all can be indications that you have a mother raising her young in or around your home. 

I had a recent call where a mother and three young raccoons were causing a lot of issues for a homeowner.  After trapping them and determining that I had all the family members-a mother and her three youngsters, the job of preparing them for a transition back into the wild began.

My first step, after confirming with the homeowner that there were no more young observed around their home, was to move all the family members from their respective traps to a common transition cage.  Bringing the family together in a safe environment, and reuniting the young with their mother, reduced the anxiety on all family members.  Next, I did a physical inspection of each to ensure their fur was clean and normal in appearance, there was no observable injury, and no obvious disease or infections. Food and water were supplied.  I was careful not to spend a lot of time around these animals as I prepared to transport them to a new home.  One way I accomplished this was by retaining a healthy distance from these raccoons so that they were totally reliant on their wild instincts and were prepared to return to the wild and fend for themselves.

The proper handling, preparation for, and the ultimate transitional release of wild born animals trapped in response to a nuisance call, requires special knowledge that the general public does not have.  The approach, for example, used for a mother raccoon and her young is similar, but different than the technique used for the transitional release of a single adult raccoon or other large mammal.  In this case, I was careful in transporting all the animals to a location in the desert that provided support for the animals in surroundings, food, and habitat.  I created a safe environment for this release, and included a rest factor which gave the mother time to investigate her new surroundings and make her own decision as to when she would leave the protection of my transition cage and encourage her young to follow.   I did not rush this mother to leave the protection afforded her in the picture below.  I allowed this raccoon family to spend time in the outdoor enclosure, become familiar with the smells, sights, sounds, and orientation of the area. Eventually, after an overnight, I left the door to the transition cage ajar so that the mother could come and go without restriction.  This technique allows the mother raccoon to leave her young in what has become a “safe” environment for them, as she investigates the area and finds a new den. 

I checked on my family each morning and, after a few days, this raccoon family felt comfortable enough in their new surroundings to have found a place of their own and moved on.

If you have raccoons that have moved into your living space and would like them trapped and removed in a similar humane fashion, please feel free to call 1^st Response Wildlife.  I would be happy to relocate a family of raccoons for you, transport an individual that has been injured or orphaned to a rehab location, or simply help you determine what your next steps could be to patch up points-of-entry or remove a food source that has made your home or business attractive for an individual or family of raccoons. 

Thanks, Wildman Josh :)

Josh's Cell (24/7 Hours): 520-260-9517

Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and releases wildlife, removing animals including bobcats (lince), snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, squirrels (ardilla) , coatimundi (gato solo), exotics, and domestic cats and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast and he is available 24/7.  Give him a call the next time you hear unusual noises in the attic or crawl spaces in your home or if you see wildlife eating your vegetation, creating nests, and raising their young too close to your pets or children. 520-260-9517 Thanks!

Animal Removal & Relocation ~ Ringtail

Ringtails - (Bassariscus astutus)

The Ringtail is Arizona’s State mammal.  While Arizona claims them as “its” mammal, ringtails range widely in the west and are found in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, and east to Alabama.  They have also been reported in Ohio where, it is believed they may have “arrived,” after hiding out in a train car, at one time.

Ringtails are not cats, but are related to Raccoons and Coatimundis. They get their name from their bushy tail that is “ringed,” with black and grey/white rings. They have slim elongated faces with bulging eyes, with stripes around them-which are very helpful in night hunting.  They never get as large as a raccoon so they can easily squeeze into smaller entrance holes or openings than what I typically see when a racoon is causing problems.  (Miners often mentioned them in their stories, calling them “miner cats,” because they found ringtails could be domesticated and were excellent mousers.) Here in the Sonoran desert, raccoons and coatis appear to be more prevalent because raccoons and coatis are larger and they often travel in groups of 3 – 5 for raccoons, and bands of 10-15 for coatis. Although there are quite a few ringtails right here in the greater Tucson area, many Arizona residents have never seen one in the wild.  

Ringtails, except when they mate and are raising their 1-2 young, are loners and live in rock outcroppings, around riparian areas in stumps, or other protected areas which can include an attic. 

Ringtails are voracious hunters and will eat mice, small birds, lizards, snakes, pack rats, as well as berries, fruits, and nuts. They can climb any tree, wall, fence, and most rocks.  Their back feet can be rotated to almost 180 degrees, which makes it easy for them, in either a vertical or horizontal pursuit of their next meal.

Ringtails are typically not considered a “nuisance animal,” but, in my professional career, I have found, in greater Tucson, several occasions where I was called to hotels, restaurants, schools, and businesses that felt something was making homes in their roofs, and even in attics.  For example, in one recent year, I trapped and released over 2 dozen ringtails from places where the business,or home owners were concerned about the ringtails which were either living or feeding inside their establishment and wanted to have them humanely removed.  If ringtails are in your attic or, in the case of a business-the ceiling, you can hear them moving around and, until you call 1^st Response Wildlife, you may not know if you have pack rats, raccoons, or even a bobcat. 

This ringtail, pictured above, along with the second one pictured below was considered a “nuisance,” because it had found a way into a food kitchen and, together with the second ringtail, was getting comfortable helping itself to anything it could find.  After I captured them, there was some work to close up points-of-entry because, even though I released the two of them some distance from that business, it would be very easy, as it is with many animals, for them to go back to that location and pick up where they left off foraging on prepared food.

After release, I took these two pictures of the ringtails.  They are gorgeous animals and, as you can see they blend in with the background, even when you know where they are-which is another reason why they are rarely seen in the wild.

If you are in need of 1st Response Wildlife's Services, just give Josh a call 24/7 at:

Josh's Cell (24/7 Hours): 520-260-9517

Thanks, Wildman Josh :)

Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and releases wildlife, removing animals including bobcats (lince), snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, squirrels (ardilla) , coatimundi (gato solo), exotics, and domestic cats and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast and he is available 24/7.  Give him a call the next time you hear unusual noises in the attic or crawl spaces in your home or if you see wildlife eating your vegetation, creating nests, and raising their young too close to your pets or children. 520-260-9517 Thanks!

Western Screech Owl

When I look at the little tufts of feathers on these small owls, measuring just 7-11” and having a wing span of 18-24”, I am reminded that they look like a miniature Great Horned Owl.  There are several different types of Screech Owls in the southwest, but the ones most often seen in the Sonoran desert are colored in patterns of gray, as those pictured here, and often move south for the winter.  (Those most often observed by my customers in the greater Tucson area, suddenly appear in the summer and stay around until the temperature drops sometime in October or November.)

These small owls are seen from time to time in sheltered areas around patios, courtyards, in Oleander bushes and trees during the daytime.  Once they select a protected place to stay, they come back again and again.  It has been reported, however, that children or even humming birds that torment them while they are resting, will drive them to choose another place to spend their day.  They will tolerate coming and going in a patio or tree/shrub close to people traffic and will hide behind foliage in order to stay in chosen areas.  Like other owls, their flight is soundless so that if you do have a Screech Owl or two living close by your home and they are flushed, unless you are looking in their direction, they may move to another spot without you hearing them move or fly to a new perch.

I have observed these beautiful Western Screech Owls camouflaged behind climbing vines in a courtyard and in trees and bushes.  I have included a few pictures to show them in locations where they return after a night of hunting. 

 
Western Screech Owls are often mistaken for Elf Owls.  The most noticeable physical difference is the tufts of feathers which the Western Screech Owls have, just above their eyes.  The Elf Owl, while roughly the same size, has a rounded head with no tufts on the top of its head.  Screech Owls begin feeding just after dusk and will feed on insects, small mice, some lizards, small birds, or small snakes that are out and about at night.  Frogs are also on their menu but, since frogs are usually seen only after a monsoon, the Screech Owls are more reliant on the menu above.  If you wonder if you have a Screech Owl or two that have taken up residence around your home, one of the easiest ways to look for them, since they may be well camouflaged, is to look for spot on the ground on your patio, under bushes, or around climbing vines that have white droppings.  Looking up, you might spot a Screech Owl spending the day with you.

Since the Western Screech Owl takes advantage of nests made in the Saguaro Cactus that others birds have drilled out and expanded-called a Saguaro Boot, if you spend any time in the desert or have Saguaros on your property, it is not out of the question for you to observe a Screech Owl or even a Pigmy Owl or other bird peering out of hole high up on a Saguaro in early spring. (See my blog on the Saguaro Boot to better understand how these “Boots,” are formed and to see a couple of pictures of what they look like inside a Saguaro.)

These Owls are plentiful in the Sonoran desert but, they are protected.  They are small enough that there is nothing to be afraid of in regards to children and small animals.  Since they try and sleep most of the day, if you observe them, be glad they are around for the insects and animals they eat, and leave them alone.  If, however, you find one injured, please call 1^st Response Wildlife or one of the rehabilitation centers here in the greater Tucson area like Forever Wild. www.foreverwild.org.

Thanks, Wildman Josh :)

Josh's Cell (24/7 Hours): 520-260-9517

Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and releases wildlife, removing animals including bobcats (lince), snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, squirrels (ardilla) , coatimundi (gato solo), exotics, and domestic cats and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast and he is available 24/7.  Give him a call the next time you hear unusual noises in the attic or crawl spaces in your home or if you see wildlife eating your vegetation, creating nests, and raising their young too close to your pets or children. 520-260-9517 Thanks!

 

Great Horned Owl Removal and Relocation

Great Horned Owls are the second largest owl found in the US.  Their range brings them to Arizona where you may see them in the rafters of hay barns, sometimes in tall palms and, occasionally, if they are wounded or hurt, in a conspicuous place such as on a swing set, or even on the ground with a drooping wing. 

These are large birds which hunt at dusk and at night.  The female is actually larger than the male.  They stand almost 2’ tall and their wing span can be up to and sometimes exceed 4’.  What makes these owls so cool, in my opinion, is that they are almost 100% silent when they swoop in for the kill on rodents, small snakes, or other prey.  It is only when they are climbing up and away with their prey firmly in their talons, that you might hear a slight, “whoosh,” but, for the most part, they are really prolific hunters because they are so quiet.

From time to time, homeowners have reported that they fear for their small pets or juvenile members of a dog or cat litter that may go outside to play in their yard.  If you think that a Great Horned Owl is creating a problem, call a professional, like myself. These Owls, along with all other Owls in Arizona, must be left alone and only handled, if necessary, by a professional who has a permit to work with them.  If you find an injured Great Horned Owl or have one that you think could create a problem for you or your pets, please call  1^st Response Wildlife 520-260-9517.  If it is determined that the owl is hurt or injured, an attempt will be made to capture it and take it to a rehabilitation center.

The Owls pictured here, in fact, are but two of a dozen rescued owls currently being rehabilitated for release.  Almost all of these will be ready for release back into the wild-with the exception of a few that have broken their wings or other injuries that may require them to be cared for continually.

Josh's Cell (24/7 Hours): 520-260-9517

Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and releases wildlife, removing animals including bobcats (lince), snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, squirrels (ardilla) , coatimundi (gato solo), exotics, and domestic cats and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast and he is available 24/7.  Give him a call the next time you hear unusual noises in the attic or crawl spaces in your home or if you see wildlife eating your vegetation, creating nests, and raising their young too close to your pets or children. 520-260-9517 Thanks!