TRUTH BE TOLD
DON’T GET TOO CLOSE!
It is absolutely critical to remember never ever to touch wildlife. They may appear harmless but they can become aggressive, they are dangerous and carry diseases. Image credit: SAMY MOUINICHY on Unsplash.
By DR VICKI BISMILLA
Some of my all-time favourite shows on television have been documentaries about our planet, its wildlife, our changing weather, and our (sometimes disastrous) relationship with nature.
It is mind boggling how teams of photographers, filming crew, production crews, researchers and entire bands of nature-committed perfectionists get those shots! I have watched open mouthed as I follow the camera to see crocodiles lunging at birds, literally millions of crabs turning Christmas Island’s shores into a pink blanket with their presence and eagles flying into whole communities of birds burrowed in holes against tall sand dunes.
Growing up in Africa gave me the opportunity of getting close to wildlife – not too close because we had killer snakes in my father’s flower farm and my mother’s garden. But I think growing up curious about wildlife leaves a lasting quest.
Here in Ontario we are blessed with all sorts of North American wildlife. Maybe not as dramatic as everyday Africa, or as jaw dropping as Attenborough’s documentaries but a lovely array nevertheless. As we admire nature’s beautiful creations, cute as they may be, like the bushy tailed squirrels scurrying from branch to branch, we must remember not to feed wildlife.
Toronto’s bylaw 349 clearly states that feeding wild animals is an offence and subject to a fine. The exception is that we are allowed to put birdseeds into a bird feeder for wild birds in our garden at a fair distance from our house. However, it is absolutely critical to remember never ever to touch wildlife. They may appear harmless but they can become aggressive, they are dangerous and carry diseases. Every part of Ontario has a municipal telephone number (like Toronto’s 311) for us to call if needed. So if you see an animal in distress, needing help, do not touch. Call your local services number and they will advise regarding next steps.
Watching Ontario’s wildlife from a safe distance in our spring and summer months is a joyous pastime. There is a family of rabbits that lives in our neighbourhood and every spring as the snow melts and the healthy green shoots of plants and bulbs emerge, there they are hopping and chomping. They are beautiful to watch and little kids love observing their hops and scurries. I certainly don’t like that they eat up the flowers of my emerging squash and veggies before the vegetables even have a chance to grow! But they do bring a smile to our faces.
Experts warn that people with pets should be careful that pets don’t follow bunnies into their burrows where they may harm the newborn rabbit babies. The more dangerous encounters for pets and children are with raccoons and skunks who are able to hurt children quite seriously and spread diseases. So teach children to be careful and stay away. We have had possums waddling across front yards on our street and snuggling into our neighbour’s hedge. We also have flat tailed beavers or muskrats emerging from the nearby storm sewer. Ontario has bats though seldom seen. My neighbour sets traps for rats and mice which are home invaders and dangerous for human health if they infiltrate homes. So, great caution needs to be practised in all encounters with wildlife.
A dangerous predatory animal that has started to appear in greater numbers in Toronto and other Ontario areas is the coyote. They are known to carry off pets and are dangerous when they appear close to your home. If you see one near your home, experts advise making loud banging noises to chase them away. The Humane Society urges dog owners to keep their dogs on a leash and to know where your cats are outside. All food waste and garbage must be cleared or properly secured on your property as coyotes are attracted by anything that they can eat. Even fruit that has fallen off trees will attract coyotes. While it may not be necessary to call the help number if you spot a coyote in uninhabited open areas or woods, you should call the help number if a coyote is on your property or in parks, or in other public areas approaching pets or people.
But not all encounters with wildlife are threatening. My friend lives right next door to a walking trail and a few times in the summer we are able to see a little more than our usual Ontario squirrels and chipmunks on that trail. We don’t see the exotic snapping turtles of northern Ontario but we certainly see little turtles that reside in the bogs or near the little lake. We once saw turtles crossing the pathway in front of us and instinctively stepped away and waited the long wait without interfering. The safety of wildlife is important to most ordinary people. We see deer with their young in the wooded areas along the Don Valley Parkway and we hope that they do not stray on to the highway which would mean immediate harm to them. At one of our college campuses we occasionally watched from upper floor windows as fox families crossed the parking lot to get to the wooded area close to the road. Again, our worry was that they get quickly to the trees and undergrowth unharmed by motor vehicle encounters.
And in the heart of Toronto we have, many times in June, been surprised to see owls and hawks perched on trees outside our grandkids’ school! What excitement for our little ones! Owls nest in trees but they stay out of sight during the day, only coming out at night to hunt. So it’s a bonus to actually see them wide-eyed during our walk home from school. The experts say to be very careful not to draw their attention, just let them be.
We have also been fortunate enough to see an eagle perched on a tree as we drove through Durham region. They are recognizable with their dark bodies, tail feathers, yellow talons and hooked beaks. They are usually high up and trying to photograph them with our spur-of-the-moment inefficient e-cameras is an exercise in futility. But just seeing them is exciting.
As we observe wildlife in our midst we cannot help but realize that we are all interconnected, all part of Nature’s plan and that this shared space is given to us by the grace of the universe. That deer have to live beside busy highways means that we have encroached into their habitat. They deserve to have safe spaces and somehow humans and wildlife need to share our habitats which cannot be entirely separate but we can at least be respectful.
Dr Vicki Bismilla is a retired Superintendent of Schools and retired college Vice-President, Academic, and Chief Learning Officer. She has authored two books.