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

Javelina and Relocation by 1st Response Wildlife

Arizona has Javelina.  If you have not encountered them yet, you probably will.  They often run in a herd of 6-12 individuals, comprised, usually with a dominant bull male, females, and 1-3 juveniles.  You will see them crossing the road, in parking lots, in your yard, lounging under your trees, or even surprising you when you get home inside your tipped over trash can.

Javelina are not pigs.  In fact, they are collared peccary which have migrated north from Central America and are found south all the way to southern areas in South America.  There are a couple of species and, based on your location in the Tucson area, you may see males weighing in at 40-50lbs, while in southern Arizona-say around Sierra Vista, you will see much smaller Javelina with a bull male weighing in at only 20-25lbs.  (Seeing a herd of Javelina in Sierra Vista may make you think you are seeing them in miniature.)

In any event, Javelina are not to be approached or challenged!  They have 4 tusks-2 on either side of their mouth which can really tear up a pet or you.  Last year, two women in Maricopa County were knocked over and their legs chewed up and, this year, two people have already been attacked in the Tucson area.

Their most common enemy is a coyote.  People who walk their dogs may encounter a single Javelina or even a herd on their walk.  Javelina’s eyesight is poor but, their sense of smell is acute.  If they smell a dog in proximity to where they are feeding or passing through, they may stop and challenge or even come after the dog as a defense against their getting attacked by what they think is a coyote.  The best option, if you see Javelina, with or without your dog, is to get out of the area.

1^st Response Wildlife is one of just a few wildlife companies licensed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department to humanely trap and relocate Javelina.  Trapping is usually not the first choice for wildlife companies.  Investigation as to why Javelina are frequenting an area, in someone’s yard, or making a specific area a place where they bed down is required.  Sometimes people in a neighborhood, an RV park, or, who have property that is adjacent to a wash, are actually feeding them.  This both encourages the Javelina to remain in that area and, raises the possibility that someone or someone’s pets will get hurt. 

A call to 1^st Response Wildlife will result in a discussion with a business or homeowner as to the location, frequency, and level of danger, destruction, or nuisance perceived to be the result of Javelina.  A couple of easy fixes are often the best solution:

1. Finding out who is feeding them and asking them to stop
2. Chasing them out of a back yard and then having a handyman install a fence/wall, or installing a gate to the property to keep them from getting in.
3. Waiting to put out the garbage until just a few hours before pickup-instead of leaving it out overnight
4. Choosing an alternate path or time of day to walk a dog.

Only after a determination of whether there is a real need to trap and relocate the Javelina in question, will actions be taken to capture them.  There are various methods of doing this, ranging from hand snaring a single animal from a confined space, to setting up a formal baiting program and full sized Javelina trap.  In cases where there is a large herd, AZGFD wants to get involved to dart and collar the herd so that after they are moved to another location, they can be tracked.  Each case is different and always involves and follows the guidance of the AZGFD.  The AZGFD has several locations around the state where they direct wildlife service companies to release Javelina that have proven to be dangerous and/or a nuisance.  Some of these are within 30-40 miles of Tucson and some are several hours drive up into remote areas.

1^st Response Wildlife has been involved in the program to capture and release Javelina and the pictures and videos to follow highlight Javelina from several different perspectives:

1. Entering a trap
2. Working with a single Javelina that was hand snared in the open
3. The responses (2) of a Javelina in a transport kennel-not too happy and clicking its tusks
4. Taking care to keep a Javelina hydrated and cool as well as providing a calming environment for transport
5. Setting a transported Javelina in a new environment where it will no longer be a nuisance
6. Watching a Javelina released from its transport kennel

Javelina often feed at night.  Using a trail camera, you can see two videos show them entering a trap 

https://youtu.be/u17sWAMseUs

https://youtu.be/uh0CjzTntSA

This picture shows a single Javelina that was hand snared in the middle of Tucson that was causing an dangerous situation in a parking lot where workers were concerned about safely getting to their cars. The video that follows shows that he is not happy and, if you listen closely, in the first video, just after he was snared, he clacks his tusks.  In the second video, he has been held for two days while he was being observed to ensure he was healthy, fed and watered, and now he is on his way to being relocated.  Still not happy.

https://youtu.be/WLlvUzvoJzQ

In the transport kennel on the way to be released but still reminding, with the tusks clacking, that he can be dangerous

https://youtu.be/Vh5LoEXuUK0

 

Javelina in a covered kennel, with the cover wet down/soaked to help keep it cool as the water evaporates during transport and, the Javelina inside has been sprayed to keep it cool while in transport.

 

A general view of the type of environment where the Javelina will be released showing a variety of vegetation and cover.

https://youtu.be/6Gld9qxsSIg

 

The Javelina, at the release site, unloaded and ready for release.

 

Finally the Javelina is released back into the wild.

 

https://youtu.be/TFuYCJh9H64

If you have Javelina in and around your property that are causing a problem, challenging your pets, or are considered dangerous, please give AZGFD a call to discuss your level of concern, or give 1^st Response Wildlife a call.  Not every Javelina call results, as described above, in capture and relocation.   It is important to have your situation reviewed and a plan of action mapped out.

Trapping and relocating Javelina can be an expensive proposition, particularly if there is more than one Javelina.  Set up a Javelina trap and baiting takes time and, if a Javelina’s range takes them away from the area of concern for a while (a week to three weeks or more), expectations of a quick fix can be disappointed.

Bottom line, if you have a Javelina problem or any other wildlife issues, please consider giving 1^st Response Wildlife a call to discuss.

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), Javelina, coyotes, snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, hawks, ducks, opossums, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), ringtails, 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!

Pack rat Removal and Destruction Addressed by 1st Response Wildlife

Pack rats in Arizona are more than a nuisance.  They are destructive, dangerous, and everywhere!  Many believe Javelina are the most destructive because of their size and what they can do to plants, cactus, and property.  Pack rats, however, are even more destructive because they can climb over walls, squeeze into spaces in attics, businesses, sheds, grills, foundations, automobiles, and just about anywhere they can be assured there is darkness and protection from their predators.  Once established, they gnaw wood, wire, PVC, grill or pool covers, and, basically set up shop. Since they can move into people living areas, they also can bring disease into your home or business in a way that external animals, like Javelina, cannot. 

Books have been written by Rodentologists that highlight their success in rat removal in large cities, urban communities, food warehouses, and businesses.  None of them, however have apparently tackled writing about and actually dealing with pack rats that live in Arizona.  Their primary approach is to educate the business or city maintenance workers to remove or reduce a food source and the expected result is to encourage Norway or brown rats to choose other places to live.  Here in Arizona, however, we are surrounded by desert, with unlimited food supplies, shelter material and access to homes, businesses, cactus, and rock outcroppings, and much of the food source and protective material is natural.  There is no way to get rid of all the pack rats which live all around us, so, they just keep coming.

The stories from homeowners and businesses that trap and remove pack rats include repeated nesting and destruction from pack rats that occupy the nests, attics, grills, storage spaces, and the roots of cactus within days of the removal of one rat.  1^st Response Wildlife is called by dozens of business owners, Property Management Companies, and homeowners to consult with them about a pack rat problem.  The key to understanding pack rats and determining what to do about them is to first recognize the damage they can do, then identify where they are living, consider their lifestyle, the conditions that exist in a given location where there is a pack rat problem, and how it can be addressed long term.  

Pest Control companies provide a service to try and keep the numbers of pack rats low but, they really are not in the business of educating the public and addressing the larger pack rat problems that are present when pack rats invade a home, business, or the plants around the property.  True, some number of pack rats will be trapped or even poisoned by a Pest Control service but, once a pack rat finds entry to a home or business, a more specific and long term strategy to get the rats out of the home or business must be employed.  Again, 1^st Response Wildlife works with Pest Control companies to augment their services, actually go into attics, roofs, and homes or businesses and work to immediately remove and make those areas unattractive for future pack rats.  

Pack rats, except when they have and are raising their young, are primarily solitary dwellers.  This means that, unless young are present, there is usually just one pack rat in a nest.   This also means that when the young move on from their mother, they must find their own place to live.  As this happens, and a relatively safe place is found-either an empty nest left by another pack rat, or a new, relatively safe location, the pack rat sets about creating their own abode.  They collect material which, in many cases, includes protective Cholla cactus sections that makes it more difficult for the animals, raptors, and reptiles that feed on them to enter their nest. Snakes-rattlesnakes, king snakes, and gopher snakes, along with Ringtails, Gila Monsters, and Owls, are not easily deterred by those barriers in the wild, however.   Pack rats will, in any event, keep trying to keep as many of their predators away from their "runs," as possible. Below is an example of what a pack rat has done to create a Cholla-lined pathway to its hole which makes it difficult for a bobcat or coyote, feral cat, or even a curious dog to walk up to the hole because of the risk of getting cactus in its feet.

When a pack rat is trapped from a nest, it leaves behind its scent, droppings, urine smell, and its nesting material and, before long, another pack rat moves in and begins to add material to that nest.  Nesting material can be comprised of just about anything.  Here is an example of twigs, mesquite and Palo Verde pods.

Here is more nesting material, rocks, and sticks-filled with natural food-pods from desert trees

Here is a pack rat nest in the base of an Agave.

Here is an example of a pack rat nest that is almost hidden in a pool edge garden of Lantana,

Close by, the nesting material, which includes Cholla cactus sections has spilled out of the Hesperaloe parviflora, with the nesting activity becoming more obvious as winter approaches because of the added material brought in to ensure insulation.

Close by, for protection at night and partially during the day, a pack rat has created entrance and exit holes in a pool cover that gives it shelter from raptors, dogs, and bobcats, while having easy entrance and exits when it is foraging for food and shelter material.

More damage to the pool cover.

Automobiles and trucks are also a favorite nesting area for pack rats.  There are untold numbers of Arizona residents who have left a car/truck outside and discovered, to their dismay, that trying to start it after a period of time results in no response from the engine, or discovering, after lifting the hood, a whole collection of material has filled the engine area.  It may cost thousands of dollars in rewiring and also it is a very time consuming job of removing cactus, pods, and any other material-all the while trying not to get stuck by cactus or other material that is in between wires, battery or engine parts.  The really frustrating part of this situation is that removing the material and trapping the rat which has done the damage does not guarantee that another rat will not take up residence immediately and start bringing in material again, chewing on wires, and leaving its droppings.  (1^st Response Wildlife has worked with a number of these situations to help vehicle owners come up with a strategy to reduce a repeat pack rat infestation.)

Three ideas that many try to prevent pack rat nesting in an outside vehicle are; 1. Leaving the hood up over night with a light in the engine-since pack rats do not like a lot of light and; 2. Buying a gadget called Rid-a-rat that is sold by many hardware stores.  This device has wires that connect to the car battery and then has a light which has a magnet on the back which directs the vehicle owner to attach it to the firewall.  Some swear by this device and others, like the owner of this truck below, where a Rid-a-rat was installed, would tell you that they absolutely do not work, and; 3. There are a number of companies that advertise an electronic device that had an ultra-high sound that a person cannot hear but, supposedly, it is a deterrent for rodents.  Again, research and homeowner’s experience, do not substantiate any significant success with these devices.

And then, of course, there are the homeowners who find that pack rats can climb and, especially, as winter approaches, any easy entrance to an attic, laundry room, shed, or grill, provides an excellent warm and safe-from-predator home for winter habitat and a great location for birthing and raising a whole new family of pack rats-just in time for spring.

1^st Response Wildlife worked with a homeowner who heard noises under the roof and in the attic and, when water started dripping and the inspection of the attic showed significant pack rat droppings, further inspection showed pack rats had chewed PVC water pipes and made a home in the ceiling-ruining the ceiling.  Below, you can see an example of PVC with rat gnawing (in other parts of the water pipe, the pack rats chewed all the way through and the water ruined the ceiling, drywall, piping and the whole area had to be cleaned out in order to be replaced.)

This is the insulation filled with rat feces and nesting material.

Here is the ceiling with the insulation, drywall and insulation removed.

The bottom-line of this whole discussion is that pack rats are here to stay.  They are destructive in many different ways, live as happily in the desert as in and around your house and it is only by understanding their behavior, habitat, and the potential damage they can cause when they get into the wrong places that a business, Property Management Company, or homeowner, can protect their property and vehicles from pack rats choosing the wrong place to call home.  1^st Response Wildlife has helped dozens of homeowners, businesses, and Property Management Companies with their pack rat problems.  1^st Response Wildlife believes that everyone with a pack rat problem needs to get involved in discussing and agreeing on the best way to remove the rats but, everyone should also be involved in looking at the longer term value of participating in a plan to keep future pack rat damage from occurring.

If you have pack rats in and around your property, hear gnawing noises at night in your walls or attics, discover droppings in a closet, shed, grill, or nesting material in a garage, attic, or somewhere it should not be, please consider giving 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!

RARE Photos and Video of Humane Bobcat Family Relocation-by 1st Response Wildlife

Bobcats are a common sight in and around southern Arizona and greater Tucson.  In fact, Arizona is one of the few states where bobcats are comfortable living and raising their families in urban areas, around homes, businesses, golf courses, and resorts.  Some resorts, for example, believe having a family of bobcats walk through their grounds adds to the allure of their property and their support of nature.

When bobcats, however, decide to have their young in close proximity to a home where there are young children, small dogs, or even in an attic, then 1^st Response Wildlife is often called for a consult to determine if and how a business or homeowner should react.  In some cases, there is no action required but, in other instances, an agreement is reached for the mother and kittens to be humanely live-trapped and safely relocated.  The primary goal of a mother bobcat is to find a safe location to birth and raise her young to an age where they can fend for themselves.  Choosing an attic, a protected area on a roof, a den in the desert above flood stage on the side of a wash, under a porch, or in a shed where there is an opening, are all pretty common locations chosen.

What follows is an extremely rare series of pictures and videos of a mother bobcat and her three kittens that had chosen a birthing location within 50 feet of the back door of a residence where three small children and two small dogs played and spent hours within a few feet of where the kittens were hidden.  The mother instructed the kittens to remain hidden while she hunted for food but, the fact that children and pets could walk right up to the hiding place without knowledge of the kittens, placed them in some danger from a mother returning with food and possibly reacting in a protective way to their presence.

After a discussion with the homeowner, 1^st Response Wildlife was contracted to live-trap, remove and relocate the family unit.

Here is a picture of the hidey-hole where the three kittens were hidden, safe from coyotes, other bobcats (usually male bobcats which might want to kill them in order to protect their territory), people, hawks, or even javelina.

Here is a picture of the first two bobcat kittens that were removed from the hidey-hole by 1^st Response Wildlife using bite proof gloves.

After they were caught, the mother came back to check on their whereabouts and she was live-trapped as part of the process for family capture.

Here is a picture of the third bobcat kitten, again, captured with bite proof gloves after it came out and got itself isolated in a spot it could not get out of by itself. (note, even at this age, the size of the kitten's claws.)

Once the three kittens were caught, they were reunited with their mother in a large transfer enclosure complete with food and water-in preparation for transport to a safe location where they would be released, over a few days, back into the wild.

Here is a picture of the family, back together, in the transfer enclosure ready to be relocated.

Here is a picture of a safe location where the enclosure will be placed and then the mother will be allowed to search and find a new home to raise her young.

Here is a picture of the transfer enclosure with the family inside in the safe and protected location.

Here is a picture of the family inside the enclosure in their new location with the relocation process well underway.

 

1^st Response Wildlife provides a humane service for live trapping and relocation of animals that are creating a safety issue or are causing a nuisance in and around someone’s property or business.  In mid to late summer, fall and winter, for the most part, this entails capturing an individual Coatimundi, Raccoon, Bobcat, Ringtail, Opossum, Skunk, Coyote, or even a domestic animal, such as a cat or dog.  These relocations are relatively straight forward because the individual animal is creating a problem and can be live-trapped and relocated miles from the property where it is creating a problem.  In the case of a domestic animal, a trip to Animal Control for adoption is an immediate solution.

In the case of families of animals, however, relocation is not a simple, live-trap, transfer, relocate, and release situation.  The Arizona Game and Fish Department is very clear on how it wants Licensed Wildlife Service Companies to handle family re-locations. Foremost, a consideration for the health and safety of all members of the family is paramount. They must stay together, be moved to a safe location in proximity to water, a food source, and, to a protected environment.  The release process 1st Response Wildlife uses to ensure these guidelines are followed, happens over several days and the family has to be monitored and the mother allowed to become acclimated to the sights, sounds, smells and surrounding area.  This is called a “soft release.”

For this family of bobcats, a “soft release” was planned and, for probably one of the “first times ever,” the activity and guidance of the mother bobcat was caught on camera and presented below.  The family was moved to a safe location where food and water was presented for 3 days and then, on the third night, the door to the enclosure was left slightly ajar so the mother could explore the surrounding area, find a spot she felt comfortable moving the kittens to and then return and guide them to their new home.

A trail camera was set up to capture the mother in the process of relocating the family.  

In the YouTube videos below, you can see this happen over time. In this first one you can see the mother outside the enclosure looking around, checking the area and, as she leaves the viewing area, probably checking for food sources such as pack rat nests etc.. (note how narrow her sides are-common for a nursing mother.) 

https://youtu.be/gtt4DraQ8IU

After she has looked around, she returns and calls to the kittens. You can see the eyes of the kittens still in the transfer enclosure.

https://youtu.be/UYPiG6cA_5Y

The first kitten is called, walks under the mother’s legs and they leave together.  Looking inside the enclosure, you can see two sets of eyes remaining.

https://youtu.be/v3GxuYxWj1s

The mother returns and the second kitten leaves with her.  Now, all you can see is just one set of eyes left in the enclosure.

https://youtu.be/ogFjx7SyQak

The third and last kitten (curiously) comes out of the enclosure and walks to the right of the picture.  The mother does not enter the picture here but, she does collect this third kitten and the relocation of the family is complete. 

https://youtu.be/eGUe9irqb6Y

About an hour later, a Javelina enters the picture and thankfully the entire family has successfully relocated and is safe.

https://youtu.be/1ynjmYEKIjg

1^st Response Wildlife uses this same process on other Wildlife families where the determination is made that relocation is in the best interest of the family and the particular area the mother has chosen to birth and raise them.  Care is taken to ensure the safety of the family and the situation with the business or homeowner is satisfactorily addressed.  This series of photographs and videos is unique because the actual relocation by the mother was captured in real time.  It also demonstrates the care taken by 1^st Response Wildlife and the mother bobcat in scouting and then safely finding an acceptable and safe location, following a proven process that ensures the bobcat family and, in this case, the homeowner are satisfied with the relocation.

If you would like help with any Nuisance animals, noises in your building, see or hear something in or around your home, business, or property and would like help identifying it, humanely removing it, with the assurance it will be relocated to live in a safe environment, please give 1^st Response Wildlife a call to discuss your options.

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), coyotes, snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, hawks, ducks, opossums, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), ringtails, 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!

Bloody Bobcats!

Arizona has a significant bobcat population.  Arizona Game and Fish Department, in fact, reports that thousands are taken by hunters and fur trappers each year across the state.

Here in southern Arizona, homeowners, hikers, golfers, and winter snowbirds typically enjoy bobcats in a different way-taking photographs, watching bobcats walk through back yards, lounging on patios, and even sharing a fairway or green during a round of golf.  In rare cases, a small pet, chickens, or doves feeding at a bird feeder have become prey of bobcats in the neighborhood.  When something like this happens, very often, a homeowner or Property Management Company places a call to 1^st Response Wildlife to discuss their options.

Here we see what homeowners often see and photograph outside their picture windows or just beyond their property line.

1^st Response Wildlife, as a licensed nuisance live trapper under the direction of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, is focused on working with homeowners and Property Management Companies to understand their specific situations, discuss and educate the interested parties on their options and then, if required, trap and relocate bobcats that truly are a nuisance.   In some cases, making an area with pets or chickens more secure, changing bird feeder locations, and being aware of bobcat habits is all that is necessary.  For others, however, when a female bobcat decides to have her babies in an attic, a bobcat really is preying on or threatening pets, the best option is to trap and relocate them.

One situation where bobcats were creating a nuisance resulted in the application of a term usually applied in the UK to this blog-“Bloody Bobcats.”  While this term is broadly and often used or applied in jest, in the case of one homeowner, it turned out to have a specific application.  It seems that bobcats in the neighborhood had decided that the front edge of their Santa Fe home was a great place to bring and consume their prey.

As you can see, this line that runs down the front of the home, just above the garage is ugly. 

Closer inspection by the homeowner and then by 1^st Response Wildlife, identified the material constituting the line, as blood from prey that bobcats would bring and consume on the roof.  (Hence the moniker, “Bloody Bobcats!”)  The homeowner and his neighbor had observed and photographed bobcats in the neighborhood on a number of occasions.  However, when this behavior continued and the line became more pronounced, it was decided to ask 1^st Response Wildlife to relocate them.

The area was inspected and it was discovered that, perhaps one influencing factor for bobcats choosing a roof as a dining location, was that a large herd of Javelina frequented the area.  To confirm that competition for the same travel routes, a trail camera was set up and, as expected, for a period of time, the herd was photographed foraging around the perimeter of the home.

Here we see Javelina inspecting and actually tripping the bobcat trap.

Once the Javelina moved on and the area was cleaned up, as you can see in the somewhat grainy photograph below, taken at night, a bobcat returned and, in the picture below, came-to-trap. was removed and relocated several miles away where there was plenty of its normal prey, water, and shelter.

Here is the bobcat resting in the trap ready to be relocated.

Once the area was cleared, the bobcat was removed and relocated several miles away where there was plenty of its normal prey, water, and shelter

If you have bobcats living in your area, around your business, home, or property you manage and believe they are a nuisance, 1^st Response Wildlife would be happy to talk with you about your experiences and explore ideas for living with them or, if it is determined that they are really becoming a nuisance, trap and relocate them for you.  Please give 1^st Response Wildlife a call for the best outcome for you and for what can be those, “Bloody Bobcats!”

If you would like help with any Nuisance animals, noises in your building, see or hear something in or around your home, business, or property and would like help identifying it, humanely removing it, with the assurance it will be relocated to live in a safe environment, please give 1^st Response Wildlife a call to discuss your options.

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), coyotes, snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, hawks, ducks, opossums, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), ringtails, 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!

Coyote-Well On Its Way To Becoming a Chupacabra, Captured By 1st Response Wildlife

Coyotes in Southern Arizona are a fairly common sight.  Often you can hear them “singing,” at night if they have their next meal cornered.  For the most part, coyotes seen in and around urban areas have become quite comfortable living in close proximity with humans.  The challenge this presents, of course, is that an unattended small pet often becomes a target for coyotes, with stories each year of coyotes killing cats, small dogs, chickens, and pet rabbits.  The term, Anthropogenic, is used to describe a situation where humans have had an effect on nature.  This term is often used to describe how urbanization of what formerly were open spaces, has caused coyotes to adapt to humans, buildings, and man-made habits and structures instead of historical environments around southern Arizona that only had cactus, trees, desert, and creosote. 

Coyotes, living in urban areas, such as Tucson, South Tucson, Oro Valley, Green Valley, Vail, Saddlebrooke, and Catalina, because of their adaptive nature have expanded their food source from wild animals, road kill, and rodents to garbage, pets, and, in some cases cat/dog food from well meaning citizens who leave food out for feral cats.  Hunting range, limited by structures and homes can reduce hiding places for prey and increase the potential for a meal that might be easier to obtain that hunting down and chasing a bobtail or jack rabbit in the open desert.  This absence of fear has encouraged urban coyotes to the extent that they have been known to team-stalk someone walking their dog – where one coyote will approach from the front and the second and third will come up behind the dog walker and little dog(s) in an attempt to obtain an easy meal.  Often, coyotes can become bold and do not necessarily run away when they encounter humans.  Some might think this is because they mean to attack, but it may only be because former encounters with humans didn’t result in anything hurtful-reinforcing a comfort level that is not seen in other wild animals.

Recently, 1^st Response Wildlife was called to investigate and possibly trap a coyote that had been seen repeatedly around a heavily populated area.  What was of particular concern by the Property Management Organization was that one particular coyote consistently was approaching the residents/renters and had been observed as close as 5 feet.  It was also reported that this particular coyote did not look well and, in fact had begun to look like it was on its way to becoming a “Chupacabra.”  (A Chupacabra, if you Google it, was once thought to be a scary mythical animal that attacked at night and was eventually named a goat-sucker/Chupacabra because it attacked domesticated animals, was hairless, and somewhat emaciated=scary)  Scientists eventually realized that the term Chupacabra and the appearance of the animals documented were really just a coyote, a wild dog, or even a fox, with all having lost their hair due to Mange and, were probably too sick to chase normal wild prey.

There are three types of mange and all are caused by small mites called Sarcoptic mites which burrow under the skin, resulting in the animal scratching the area and eventually, as the mites spread, an animal becomes weaker and loses its hair in the areas where the infestation/mites reside.  In the worst cases, in addition to losing hair, the animal develops bacterial infections as well – resulting in a very scary looking and smelly “beast,” of mythical folklore. Untreated, the mites keep burrowing in the host animal and can be transferred from one animal to another but are unique to the type of host animal.  So, if a coyote has mange, also called Scabies, the mange is easily transferred in the den, where the coyotes come in close contact to each other, or to a dog that may have contact with a coyote but escapes.  If a human were to come in contact with that particular canine mite, while some mites could be transferred to the human and cause some itching, a canine mite cannot survive on a human host and will eventually die.

Below are a couple of internet copied pictures of animals (Chupacabras) that are examples of the end state of what mange can do. (They are but two of dozens that can be found and are shown here for comparison purposes to the pictures of the coyote in question-further in this blog.)

 

After an inspection of the area where the coyote had been reported/seen and, as a result of numerous eye-witness descriptions of a rather ugly/sickly/scary looking coyote, 1^st Response Wildlife set some traps that are specific to canines. 

The beauty of these traps is that they are not designed to catch cats, Javelina, bobcats, raccoons, or coatimundi.  They also do not harm the animal but, hold it until a trapper can arrive, transfer it to a carrier and move it to another location.  With respect to this particular coyote and, based on all the reports, 1^st Response Wildlife was fairly certain that this was probably a fairly sick coyote, with mange, that would need to, after capture, be taken to a rehabilitation location for inspection by a veterinarian.  (Left alone in the wild, the Property Management Company and the residents/renters who had encountered the coyote at close range, reported that, it did not look like a healthy coyote and, its lack of mobility suggested that, without medical attention, it might not survive.  In the mean time, however, they were all worried about the safety of their pet dogs and cats many of which were walked 2-3 times a day.)

Here we see the first picture of the captured target coyote.  It has not been hurt and is just waiting for help.

Here we see the coyote, transferred to a carrier for transport to a rehabilitation facility. (Note its undernourished condition and the absence of hair on the rear end of the animal above the tail.)

Here is a close up of the right hindquarters of the target coyote clearly showing all the hair missing with a full blown case of mange.  This animal, without help, certainly is on its way to looking like one of the Chupacabras pictured above.

The following day (animal was captured late in the evening), the animal was transported to a rehabilitation center which logged it into their facility where date, time, location of acquisition took place (for Arizona Game and Fish Department's records) and an assessment was made by a veterinarian. Thankfully, the animal was not harmed and there was a place in Tucson to take it for evaluation and follow through.

If you are a homeowner, business owner, Property Management Company and you find that you have a nuisance animal in or around your property, please give 1^st Response Wildlife a call to discuss options for dealing with it or humanely removing it.

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!

 

Arizona Game and Fish Urban Wildlife & 1st Response Wildlife

AZ Game and Fish Urban Wildlife

I believe one of the most important parts of my responsibilities as a licensed humane trapper and relocation expert of animals, reptiles and birds of the Sonoran Desert, is helping my customers understand the rich mix of animals, reptiles and birds we enjoy.  I do not automatically hurry to capture and remove animals that are not injured or sick without talking to my clients about their individual situation and what they are experiencing with some animal that is found in and around their business or home.

Working closely with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, I carefully consider and discuss what is occurring and then, with my clients discuss the principles that the state of Arizona has in place to deal with an animal or reptile.  In many cases, a business owner or home owner can, with a little education, learn how to either live with, accommodate, or discourage an animal from being a nuisance and, one of the best resources I use is to refer them to the Arizona Game and Fish Urban Wildlife web pages, where there are extensive videos, discussions and suggestions concerning the wildlife in Arizona. 

This website, http://www.azgfd.com/w_c/urban_wildlife.shtml represents a great compendium of information and also represents the commitment that Arizona has to helping you co-exist with the animals we find here.  Along with my blog, I find that my clients are more comfortable with my approach, suggestions and, if I really do need to remove, relocate, or capture and take an animal or reptile to a rehabilitation center, everyone involved, including the critters, have a better outcome.

I communicate with Arizona Game and Fish on a regular basis and, in fact, their regulations in managing wildlife require that I keep them informed about my work as well as report and seek counsel on an ongoing basis so they can better understand what I see happening with wildlife, where it is happening, and how our wildlife management can be improved.

For more information about my approach to helping you with your wildlife questions, nuisance animals, or injured or sick critters, rattlesnakes, and bats, feel free to contact 1^st Response Wildlife, www.1stResponseWildlife.com, or my cell at 520-260-9517.  If you want to read more in-depth explanations and descriptions of our extensive animal and reptile population and find ideas on how you can co-exist with them, you will find that the Urban Wildlife section of the Arizona Game and Fish website, above, is an excellent resource.

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 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!

Josh Waling, Humane Wildlife Catch/Release

Licensed Animal Trapper in Arizona

Cell: 520-260-9517

Hours of Operation: 24/7

Location: Tucson, Arizona (surrounding areas)

Email: [email protected]

Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and relocates 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), rock squirrels, Colorado River Toads (Sonoran Desert Toads)coatimundi (gato solo), ringtail, skunks (zorrillo), gophers, coyotes, badgers, Javelina, exotics, and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast.  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!

Scroll down to follow me and see posts with photos, videos, and educational information on the wonderful animals, and reptiles that call southern Arizona their home. 

Thanks, from 1st Response Wildlife~Josh!

Tucson Humane Wildlife Animal Trapping & Removal

Hi, my name is Josh Waling and I have loved animals since the day I was born. I live in the heart of the Sonoran Desert-Tucson, Arizona, which is one of the most unique places in the world. We have as much indigenous wildlife as the Peruvian and Amazon jungles. I have been catching and handling exotic reptiles for over 25 years. I've been humanely trapping nuisance wildlife here in the Sonoran Desert for 10+ years and I love my job. I get to help sick, injured or orphaned animals find their way back to the wild. I also like to educate the public about our animals here in the Sonoran Desert to help both people and wildlife live together harmoniously. My passion is reptiles, but I have found a love for working with all animals including bobcats, skunks, rattlesnakes, coyotes, ringtails, raccoons, coatimundi, badgers, javelina, and even domestic dogs. So, I hope everyone will enjoy following my adventures. Check out the posts, videos and pictures below to see what I've been up to lately. :) Since I have a GoPro head mounted camera, and a number of field cameras that capture photos and video day or night, if there are any animals or reptiles you would like to see that I haven't posted, feel free to email me.

 Give me a call if you need help with any animals that may have found their way onto your property and need to find a way back to their home, ask for an education session or just call for information on animals you would like to know more about. I would be happy to chat with you and, if you need my services, I will be there in a timely and professional fashion to remove them from your home and help them find their way back to either nature or a proper rehab facility. Thanks!

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

Thanks. 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), skunks, coyotes, pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, pigeons bats, squirrels (ardilla), coatimundi (gato solo), coyotes, badgers, possums, javelina, ringtail, rock squirrels, 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. 520-260-9517 Thanks!