You may have noticed we have some wild neighbors roaming through our wetlands lately. Every few years the coyotes come back into our area. We must remember that this area once belonged to them and we must learn to live responsibly with our wild friends. They will tend to keep to themselves and leave us alone. There are certain precautions you should take to help protect your family, pets and property. Coyote’s will not bother human’s and animals as long as you keep your distance and they do not feel threatened
1) Do not feed wild mammals!
2) Feed your pets in the house.
3) Always keep your garage doors closed.
4) Equip all of your windows with properly maintained screens.
5) Keep pet doors locked at night and when not in use during the day.
6) Cover your children’s sandbox when not in use to prevent it from being used as a litter box by wild mammals.
7) Enclose compost bins, and lock or securely tighten trash can lids to eliminate food sources for wildlife.
You can prevent wild animals from selecting your home as their habitat by increasing the amount of human activity that takes place in your yard. Spending time in your yard each day is one of the most effective ways of keeping wild animals away.
All this information and more can be found on Washington County’s Web Site:
If you feel that there is a problem please contact the Non Emergency Number for the Sheriff Department and report the problem. http://www.arborridgeonline.com/community/local-contacts/#law
Washington County has a section that is worth reading to understand their impact and our impact and how we all coexist.
http://www.co.washington.or.us/HHS/AnimalServices/Resources/AnimalCare/other-animals.cfm
If you have concerns you can call Washington County Animal Services as they are the experts and they will be happy to talk to you about the animals.
http://www.co.washington.or.us/HHS/AnimalServices/index.cfm
