Resources

Wildlife

1. What should I do if I witness abuse?
If you know of someone who is harassing, trapping and/or killing wild animals, you can confront them or call the police. If the situation is urgent, dial 911. If you don’t know the perpetrators, note any distinguishing characteristics. Get a license plate number. If you have access to a video or camera, document what you see. If not, contact your local police, sheriff or humane society and ask them to investigate.

2. My town is going to release a bunch of balloons. What should I do?
Several cities and states have laws that prevent or limit the release of lighter-than-air balloons because of the hazard they present to wildlife. Call your local authorities to find out if this activity is legal. Contact the people who plan to release the balloons and ask them to cancel their plans.

3. My town is planning a ceremony in which doves will be “released” into the air. What should I do?
Contact the people who are paying to have this done and ask them to reconsider. The most responsible among these will not release doves at night or in inclement weather, but even these birds are initially kept in unnatural conditions with their freedom minimized. No bird’s flight should be limited by human hands – particularly for commercial purposes.

4. How can I keep bears off of my property?
If you live in bear country, you should expect to have an occasional ursine visitor. It is your responsibility to ensure that any bear who enters your yard or campsite is not killed by the experience. If you leave food or trash in your area, you are being irresponsible. Because most wildlife agencies have little tolerance for bears who become habituated to humans, “a fed bear is a dead bear.” Bears who associate humans with food lose their fear of humans and therefore often end up being killed. In Colorado, “nuisance” bears are relocated once; a second encounter will end with the bear being killed.

Humans must be particularly vigilant during late summer and fall, when bears feed up to 20 hours a day to put on enough fat to survive winter hibernation.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife recommends you take the following steps to keep bears off of your property or away from your campsite:

• Do not leave trash out.

• Take out the trash for pickup the morning of the day it will be picked up.

• Do not feed your companion animals outdoors.

• Do not feed birds and squirrels, especially suet, sweet hummingbird feed and peanut butter.

• Clean your barbecue after using it.

For more information, visit http://wildlife.state.co.us/Colo_Wild_ Co/fall1994/living_bears%5B2%5D.htm

5. Animals are frequently being killed by vehicles in front of my house. How can I help?
First ensure that the area is marked with wildlife crossing signs. If the area is not yet marked, request a wildlife crossing designation from the agency responsible for transportation issues in your city or state. In Colorado, it is the Department of Transportation, which can be reached at 303-757-9485 or 800-999-4997.

If the area is already marked, contact the law enforcement agency responsible for patrolling the road. Tell the agency about the situation and ask it for increased vigilance on the road.

RMAD proposed legislation enacting a “double fine” area in wildlife crossing zones and has continued to push the State of Colorado on this issue. Legislation has not survived committee hearings. If you would like to help with this important effort, e-mail our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@rmad.org.

6. What do I do about mice or other wild animals living on, in or beneath my house?
RMAD recommends you contact Urban Wildlife Rescue at 303-340-4911.

7. What do I do when I find a sick or injured animal?
If you hit a deer or large animal with your car inside the city limits, call the city police. Outside of the city limits, call the state patrol, the sheriff or the state wildlife agency (in Colorado, the Division of Wildlife at 303-291-7227).

If you find a small bird, place him in a box, preferably with a tight-knit towel spread over the bottom of the box. Keep him in a warm, quiet place to keep him from going into shock. In the Boulder area, Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary (Lyons, CO; 303-823-8455) accepts many birds, with the exception of birds of prey.

If you find an injured bird of prey (owl, eagle, falcon, etc.), contact Birds of Prey at 303-460-0674. Do not try to handle the bird yourself. Allow the experts to address the situation.

If you do not have the option of contacting an animal rehabilitation organization, go to your nearest veterinary clinic or hospital. If the clinic doesn’t have a bird (avian) vet on staff, staff members may still be able to help or refer you to another facility that can.

For larger animals, Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary posts the following:

You may have the opportunity to help an injured wild animal when you least expect it. If you take a few moments to read the following, you may be better prepared to give that injured animal the best possible chance of recovery.

1. Please do not handle any wild animal if doing so risks your safety or the safety of others. Keep in mind that if you are injured, you cannot help the animal. When in doubt, do not attempt a capture. Call a wildlife rehabilitation center for advice.

2. Never handle a large bird of prey, a raccoon, a skunk, a deer, or an opossum that appears alert and responsive. These animals have particularly powerful talons, teeth, legs and claws.

3. Keep a safe distance from the animal and do what you can to protect him from harassment by pets or other people.

4. Contact Wild Places (303-546-9478) or Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary (303-545-5849) as soon as possible.

For more information, visit www.greenwoodwildlife.org/injured.html.

8. I found a bird who seems to be convulsing. What is wrong with him? What can I do?
He may well be suffering from poisoning. In this case, emergency treatment must be given. Use caution when handling and avoid any skin contact with the bird. Wear gloves that can be bagged and washed or disposed of. Most vets can administer Valium to control seizures and a charcoal/water gavage to neutralize the poison. Not all vets have the experience and inclination to work with wild birds, so it may take some fast research and education to get them to assist. (For more information on injured animals, visit www.greenwoodwildlife.org/injured.html.)

Contact your city manager to find out how your city handles bird poisoning. Report suspected bird poisoning to RMAD and to local officials such as Animal Control (in Boulder at 303-442-4030, ext. 640). If you know who is poisoning the birds, you may contact them directly and explain why it is both cruel and dangerous to kill with poisons. For more information, see www.rmad.org/birdfacts.html.

9. What is a good way to control mice?
The best way to control mice or any other unwanted animal in your home is to keep food securely stored. Live traps can also be effective. When relocating a mouse, be sure to release the animal in an area where he has some cover from predators. Jack Murphy of Urban Wildlife Rescue suggests securing your home first, then releasing the mouse out your back door so as to ensure the best chance of survival.

Mouse Ranch provides a good deal of information on humane mouse eviction, though they suggest releasing the animal 2-3 miles from your home. Regardless of what you do, be sure the environment is suitable for relocation.

You can also contact Urban Wildlife Rescue (303-340-4911) for tips or assistance on mouse-proofing your home.

10. Who do I contact to prevent a fox den from being destroyed by development?
Foxes can be very difficult to relocate. Contact the developers and owners and alert them to the presence of the foxes. Ask them to help you address the situation. Contact Urban Wildlife Rescue (303-340-4911) for information and to see if they may be of assistance.

11. What is RMAD’s position on hunting?
RMAD’s position on hunting is that of abolition—to eliminate hunting completely. RMAD believes animals deserve to be treated with respect and accorded life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The litmus test we use to determine the legitimacy of any activity involving humans and other animals is whether the animals benefit from it. Hunting most certainly fails this test.

12. What is the Pittman-Robertson Act?
The Pittman-Robertson Act taxes gun and ammunition sales. Proceeds support state fish and wildlife agencies (which support hunting). Only about one-quarter of gun and ammunition sales are for hunting-related activities. Hence, the gun-buying, non-hunting public subsidizes hunting through taxes.

13. How many animals do hunters kill each year?
According to the Humane Society of the United States, more than 100 million animals are reported killed by hunters each year. That number does not include the millions of animals for which kill figures are not maintained by state wildlife agencies.

14. What reasons are given by hunters to justify killing animals?
“Putting food on the table” and “population control” are used to justify killing and injuring innocent animals. Yet a Maryland study shows that when the costs of hunting (e.g., license fees, equipment, food, lodging and transportation) are considered, a pound of venison costs about $24.

The assertion that hunting is about population control invariably boils down to elk and white-tailed deer. The overpopulation issue deserves a great deal of time and attention. How do we know what proper balance is?

15. Why do state fish and wildlife agencies promote hunting?
Fish and wildlife agencies sell licenses to help pay agency salaries. These agencies get funding from various general funds, federal endangered species funds, taxes on extractive industries and other sources. Agency staff is generally made up of hunters and fishers who perpetuate the hunting paradigm. According to Russ George, director of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, agency staff feels obligated to primarily serve its hunting constituency because staff salaries are supported by license fees. Ironically, a significant amount of a state wildlife agency’s budget is directed at enforcing hunting regulations.

16. Which species are affected by hunters in Colorado?
Although by no means complete, this list includes black bears, antelope, moose, pheasants, cottontail rabbits, snowshoe hares, quail, blue grouse, mountain sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, Abert’s squirrels, fox and pine squirrels, prairie rattlesnakes, snapping turtles, beavers, badgers, bobcats, coyotes and the biologically threatened white-tailed, Gunnison’s and black-tailed prairie dogs. Hunters even kill mountain lions. The Colorado legislature tried again in the 2002–03 to increase the number of mountain lion kill licenses without having any reliable data to justify that move. Additionally, the legislature tried to reinstate the spring bear hunt, which guarantees that bear cubs will starve in their dens. The Colorado ban on the spring bear hunt was put into place in 1992 by citizens after the Colorado Wildlife Commission refused to do so.

17. What is a canned hunt?
Canned hunts are those in which kills are guaranteed because tame animals are kept in enclosures with nowhere to run and hide.

18. If hunting were indeed about population control, why are hunters allowed to kill mountain lions and bucks, as opposed to does?
Hunting isn’t about population control and it isn’t about putting food on the table. It’s about recreation and the recreation dollar. Hunters have contest hunting for trophies in which prizes are awarded for the most or largest animals killed. Our society condones going into animals’ homes—the only place their families and social groups could be free and safe—to hunt and kill them.

19. What role does the Colorado Division of Wildlife play in protecting wildlife from hunters?
Like nearly every wildlife management agency, Colorado’s is overseen by a commission composed of people who hunt, fish, farm and ranch. Agricultural interests are largely contrary to wildlife protection interests.

On the Colorado Wildlife Commission (CWC), four of the eight seats are dedicated exclusively to agricultural producers and sportsmen. Only one seat is reserved for a non-consumptive wildlife organization. Ironically, this seat is held by the former state chairman of the consumptive Colorado Ducks Unlimited. The at-large members are also affiliated with ranching and hunting interests.

According to Sinapu, more than half of the voting members of the CWC are associated with the livestock industry, and the majority of the commissioners also hunt. Yet in Colorado, less than 1 percent of the population produces livestock, and only about 7 percent hunt.

20. What can I do to help?
Check out the web site of The Fund for Animals at www.fund.org for more information on hunting and specific action alerts on hunting. Write a letter to the editor. RMAD’s web site (www.rmad.org/letters.html) lists e-mail addresses for the letters section of several Front Range-area newspapers. Call your legislators and governor to tell them you want your views represented on the Wildlife Commission.

21. Is there an organization that provides assistance in resolving conflicts between people and wildlife?

Yes. People and Wildlife (http://peopleandwildlife.org.uk/) is "a partnership between the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and Born Free Foundation, seeking to resolve conflicts between the needs of people and those of wildlife, and develop long-term, humane solutions."

People and Wildlife provides a wealth of ideas, guidance, and advising on related to human and animal interaction.

22. Is it legal, under Colorado's amendment 14, to live trap an animal (such as a fox, squirrel, or raccoon) and then kill her?

Yes.

23. There is a beehive on my house. I don't want to harm the bees but I need to relocate the hive. What can I do?

Other than leaving the bees alone, contacting a beekeeper is the best solution. Have a qualified beekeeper assess whether the hive can be moved or not. You may be able to find one through the Boulder County Beekeepers' Association
(http://www.bouldercountybeekeepers.org) or the Swarm Hotline (Boulder County Extension Office) at 303-776-4865.

In general, RMAD does not endorse beekeeping, but this seems to be the most humane solution.

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