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

Bobcat Mother and Kitts Returned as a Family to the Wild by 1St Response Wildlife

Over Easter weekend, a mother Bobcat and her two kittens were captured just outside of a home owner’s front door.  Fearing for the safety of his guests, his pets, and the mother with new kittens, he called 1^st Response Wildlife who came and free-snared the mother, collected the kittens, moved them miles from the birthing area and prepared to provide a "soft release," in a new location.  (You will see, in the video below, that these kittens do not yet have their eyes open and, you can just imagine, that the mother will fight to protect them if she felt they were being challenged by children, pets, or visitors to this home owner’s residence!)

What follows is an example of a careful safe method of moving a family to a new location in what is called a “soft release.”  This approach allows for the family to function in a safe environment, acclimate to a new location-complete with sights, sounds, food source, and no disruption in the child rearing by the mother.

The first step in the process was to move the mother to a large transition kennel, complete with water, her kittens and food.  At the same time, a focus on providing a den environment, with a covering of the kennel calmed the mother down and, within a few minutes, she had begun nursing her young again.

For a few days, she was provided food and water and the activities of bonding with her young continued while 1^st Response Wildlife searched for a safe place to release the family.

After a new location was found, the babies were removed for the trip to a new location.  Below, you see the mother, a bit apprehensive for a move and without her kittens, and the transfer kennel loaded, with the mother, ready to travel to the “soft release,” location.

 

 

Now you see the mother, in the transfer kennel, loaded and ready to travel to her new family location.

 

The kittens are carefully moved in the video below, to a transfer kennel that is housed inside the truck, in order to keep them safe, calm, and in a controlled environment.

https://youtu.be/tAJYbMl0s9k

Here they are in their small kennel, ready for transport inside the temperature controlled environment of the truck.

The location, selected below, was ideal because it offered a safe location, access to water, lots of observed natural prey for a bobcat family, and in a quiet setting.  Note that transfer kennel is covered to allow sounds, smells, and some visual access to the surroundings but, it also is covered extensively to keep the family feeling as safe as they would be in a hillside den.

Food and water were provided for several days. This even included euthanized pack rats, etc., which are common to the area where the release is set. 

After almost a week, the door to the kennel is left open 8-13 inches.  This allows the mother to feel comfortable leaving her kittens to hunt and return with food from the surrounding area. 

After 2-3 more days, when the location was checked, the mother and kittens had left the security of their temporary home and she had found a new den that was nearby.  Note the door is ajar.  It allowed for exit and entrance for the mother while she hunted and searched for a new den or equivalent.  Eventually, the family found a new home and the temporary transition kennel was removed.

This was a great example of 1^st Response Wildlife helping a home owner with what could have been a dangerous situation for children, pets, and guests, while, at the same time ensuring that a Bobcat mother and her kittens would continue as a family unit and acclimate to a new location.

If you have any Bobcats, Raccoons, Ringtails, Skunks, or other animals which may potentially cause a problem for you, your pets, your guests, or even your renters, please give 1^st Response Wildlife a call and discuss options for dealing with them.

 Thanks for considering 1st Response Wildlife 

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, hawks, ducks, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), 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 or have an exotic sighting in your neighborhood. 520-260-9517 Thanks!

 

Animal Education, Animal Capture, Animal Trapping, Animal Rescue, Animal Relocation-1st Response Wildlife Does It All!

Southern Arizona, the Sonoran Desert, and greater Tucson are homes to a number of wild animals.  Many are beautiful, when observed in the wild, but can be a threat to small pets, children, and a nuisance to a business or residence.  The Arizona Game and Fish Department has very clear guidelines for approaching situations where an animal or reptile is observed on and around property.  Whenever possible, the protocol is to observe, accommodate, film, and appreciate our wildlife-but not disturb.

However, if you, as a homeowner, a business owner, a Property Management Company, or a renter, feel that an animal, reptile, or even a dog has become destructive, a nuisance, or a threat to yourself, your family, or a pet, please consider giving 1^st Response Wildlife a call to discuss your options.

The general rule of thumb, 1^st Response Wildlife follows, is to first listen, understand, and investigate a concern.  Information and education about a particular animal may be all that is necessary to put one’s mind at ease.  However, if an animal or reptile turns out to be an orphan, is living too close to a home, burrowing under sheds, decks, and/or is destructive or threatening in nature, then a plan of action which often includes an open free style capture, trapping the animal, or even rescuing it, may be the best response.  In most cases, nuisance animals, reptiles, and birds, will be relocated to a safe but distant location from where they were captured. (Birds, rescued/retrieved from a chimney, often will be released immediately, in the area where they were captured-after the chimney/entry point has been sealed up, to ensure they remain in their home area but do not venture back down into an open-ended chimney stack.)

The list of animals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds which 1^st Response Wildlife works with customers to better understand and direct the recommended plan of action, is quite extensive.  With the exception of protected species and those which need special one-time permits from Arizona Game and Fish Department to remove and relocate, services available to homeowners, businesses, Property Management Companies, and renters include Education, Capture, Trapping, Rescuing, Relocation, and seminars about:

Animals and Reptiles of Arizona, Bobcats, Raccoons, Ringtails, Coatimundi, Foxes, Skunks, Squirrels, Pack Rats, Harris’ Antelope Squirrels, Kangaroo Rats, Rabbits, Gophers, Round Tailed Ground Squirrels, Lizards-exotic and regional, Colorado River Toads (aka Sonoran Desert Toad) Tortoises, Bats, Gila Monsters, Owls, Buzzards, Ducks, Hawks, Rattlesnakes-any species, Gopher Snakes, King Snakes, Night Snakes, Long Nosed Snakes, exotic snakes (which may have been released), Coyotes, Dogs, other former pets-Peacocks, Iguana, etc..  Special permits can be obtained by a homeowner or business for specific bird and animal removal or deterrents, but it is best to check with 1^st Response Wildlife and AZGFD for larger animals, such as Javelina, Puma, Bears, Badgers, etc.

Part of the service 1^st Response Wildlife offers, in addition to its primary work directly with animals, is giving seminars on reptiles or animals in Arizona, as well as helping homeowners, businesses, and Property Management Organizations better understand how to live with our diverse population of animals and reptiles.  Frequent discussions about how to snake-proof your home, how to keep rock squirrels, mice, and skunks from returning to your property, and in-depth property and building inspections to point out and close up points of entry for unwanted “guests,” is a key part of "a day on-the-job" for 1^st Response Wildlife.

If you have small children, animals or feel that animals, reptiles, or birds, native to the area should not be living as close to your family or business as they are currently, please give 1^st Response Wildlife a call to discuss safe and humane ways to work to potentially relocate them.

Thanks for considering 1st Response Wildlife 

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, hawks, ducks, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), exotics, 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 or have an exotic sighting in your neighborhood. 520-260-9517 Thanks!

 

SNAKES ALIVE! 1st Response Wildlife Posts to help Homeowners Become Snake-Aware

Spring sun in Arizona warms the ground resulting in the emergence of small wildlife and reptiles.  This explosion, particularly of small rodents (Rabbits, Pack Rats, Round Tailed Ground Squirrels, Harris's Antelope Squirrels-look like an Eastern Chipmunk, and Kangaroo Rats, and Mice), attract one of their strongest natural predators-snakes.

Of particular interest to the homeowner, business owner, and Property Management Company, is the fact that snakes, which, as the ground warms, begin hunting and foraging around foundations, woodpiles, patios, under bushes, and open garages.  In the heat of the summer, snakes are seen well into the night, as they appear on paved roads, patios, and garage cement slabs in order to absorb the heat.  In the spring, however, as the ground warms, they are seen more in the daytime and move to protected areas earlier in the evening because, since they are cold blooded, their activity slows in parallel with the temperature.

Snakes serve a very important role in the cycle of life in the Sonoran Desert because, along with Raptors, Raccoons, Skunks, Coyotes, Ringtails, Bobcats, Gila Monsters, and other rodent predators, snakes help keep these nuisance rodents in check.  Learning to live with snakes, however, is a challenge to some.  The question is how to recognize and accept snakes in close proximity to a home or business and, when to call for help in capture and relocation of those which are determined to be dangerous to family, pets, and visitors.

1^st Response Wildlife helps by working with homeowners, business owners, and Property Management companies to identify, evaluate, educate, and, when necessary, relocate snakes.  There are snakes which are essentially harmless and great to have around and there are others which, after an evaluation and discussion in regard to their proximity and threat to animals and people, should be relocated.

Whether you decide to request a service call by 1^st Response Wildlife to capture and relocate a snake on your property or not, it is probably a good idea to become familiar with a few of the most common snakes seen in and around the greater Tucson area and in the Sonoran Desert-particularly if you hike, have young children, pets, or invite frequent visitors to your home or business. (You can have your dog(s) snake-avoidance trained but, while this may keep your pet safe, if your dog encounters a snake on your property, you still have the dilemma of how to deal with it.)

While Arizona has the largest number of rattlesnakes of any state, and several relatively harmless non-venomous or less venomous snakes, many of the rattlers here are only found in specific regions of the state.  What this means is that in the greater Tucson area and, unless you are hiking or exploring at higher altitudes, the species of rattlers you will see in this area are fairly predictable. Below are 6 of the most commonly seen snakes you may see.  Three are rattlers and three are beneficial to have around.  All consume the rodents, mentioned above, lizards, or even insects.

Most common rattlesnake seen is the Western Diamondback-note the viper shaped head and striped tail

 

Also seen pretty routinely in certain parts of the Sonoran Desert is the Mohave/Mojave Rattlesnake

 

Seen in the flat desert in greater Tucson, Marana, etc., often at night, is the Sidewinder Rattlesnake. In addition to its viper shaped head, Sidewinder Rattlesnakes have what look like distinguishing horns, actually protruding scale formations, above each eye.

 

 

 

Beneficial to have around and an excellent rodent hunter, is the Gopher Snake.

Also beneficial as a rodent hunter as well as a snake predator-to include rattlesnakes, is the King Snake.

Less often see in the daytime, but often seen in the evening or night is the Long Nosed Snake.

 

Note the distinct difference between the poisonous snakes and the beneficial snakes.  The rattlers are all pit vipers, have rattles, and have distinct shapes to their heads.  The beneficial snakes have no rattles, have more pointed and smooth heads and are usually constrictors.

Snakes can be discovered on your property, observed while hiking, or discovered while you are doing some gardening, working in your garage, or playing outdoors with pets or children-essentially any time.  Foraging for prey will take them to search your garage, wood piles, slither under and around bushes, coil up by your planters, and, even cross your property in plain sight. 

If you encounter a snake, are unsure of its classification, the best advice is to leave it alone and quietly back away.  However, if you would like to consider having it removed, please give 1^st Response Wildlife a call.  

Thanks for considering 1st Response Wildlife 

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, hawks, ducks, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), 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 or have an exotic sighting in your neighborhood. 520-260-9517 Thanks!

1st Response Wildlife Helps Homeowner With An Easter Bobcat Mother and Kittens

Spring in the Sonoran Desert brings the blossoming of plants as well as the birth of wildlife babies.  We are blessed, here in Tucson and the surrounding desert to have an abundance of wildlife which, in many cases, is comfortable living in close proximity with humans.  Arizona, as a matter of fact is one of the few states where Bobcats, Raccoons, Ringtails, and sometimes, even Mountain Lions feel as much at home around people as they do, say, in the northern states, living in forests and hills-as far as possible from human interaction.

When there is no danger to the wildlife or to a homeowner’s children or small pets, a happy medium of each enjoying the other’s company is achieved.  However, if there is a clash or concern related to having wildlife, such as a Bobcat family living close to your home or business, then it may be time to give 1^st Response Wildlife a call.

Over Easter weekend, 1^st Response Wildlife was called to a home where a mother Bobcat had recently given birth to two kittens and had decided that an area just outside the homeowner’s door was as good a place as any to raise her young.  The babies, in the picture below, were very small and the mother very protective.  If they had decided to live on the desert side of a wall, in a den on the side of a wash, or under a tree, close to the home, things would have been different but, in this case where there could be small animals and visitors who had to walk right by them to get to the door into the home, it appeared best to consider relocating them.

With great care, 1^st Response Wildlife performed an open snare capture of the mother which resulted in her being placed in a locked transport. 

The kittens, barely able to see or move much beyond their location in the corner of the front patio area, were collected and placed in another protected carrier for transport.

Once the family was safely removed from the homeowner’s property, they were taken to a safe location where steps were taken to calm the mother down, provide water and natural food, and the babies and mother were placed in a transition cage.  This cage and the reunion of the family was the beginning of a protocol to return the Bobcat, with its kittens, back into the wild.

In a subsequent blog, when the Bobcat mother and her kittens are returned to the wild, a description of that process will be penned, along with pictures, to show how 1^st Response Wildlife works to protect and maintain the family unit, all the while, moving the family many miles from the original homeowner’s location so the kittens will grow up in a new location and not imprint with their original birthing location.

Currently, the reports of the process of returning the family to the wild are good.  The kittens are nursing well, the mother is comfortable in her new surroundings and, it is expected that she will be hunting and finding a new home for her young within a week, in a new location, but still not far from human habitation.

If you have small children, animals or feel that a family of Bobcats, Raccoons or other animals, native to the area should not be living as close to your family or business as they are currently, please give 1^st Response Wildlife a call to discuss safe and humane ways to work to potentially relocate them.

Thanks for considering 1st Response Wildlife 

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, hawks, ducks, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), 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 or have an exotic sighting in your neighborhood. 520-260-9517 Thanks!