The Service Department appreciates your annoyance when your property is visited by undesirable wildlife, however your situation may not warrant trapping by the Village of Orange.

Experts from the Cuyahoga County Department of Health have discussed our options for dealing with wildlife control. The population of wildlife is increasing all over the Greater Cleveland area. One of the reasons is that we are seeing much less disease in these animals, which is nature's way of thinning out the population. Also, residents are inadvertently feeding these animals and [providing them with nesting areas.

Orange Village's policy is to address only these nuisance animals which directly affect your living quarters. The Village does not trap animals randomly, which is the process of placing traps where there is no evidence of infestation. We trap only at the animals nesting site. This is done for the following reasons.

• Random trapping costs enormous amounts of money but accomplishes very little in eliminating the problem.
• Current state law requires that skunks, raccoons, and opossums caught in live traps are either euthanized or quarantined for sixty-five (65) days before release back into the wild.
• Animal wardens cannot control what is caught in these live traps such as cats or neighbors pets. Animals identified as belonging to a resident will be returned to the resident at owners expense.

There are many things residents can and must do to encourage these animals to move out of the community. Everyone must work together to eliminate their food sources and nesting areas. If you follow the advice below, the animals will be less likely to nest or feed on your property. If your neighbors also do their part, the animals will be encouraged to leave our community.

Wildlife Control Advice by: Greg Miller

ELIMINATE THE FOOD SOURCE

• Place garbage in cans with lids.
• If you must use plastic trash bags, keep them in your garage until the morning of your trash pickup. Don't put them out at night when the skunks and raccoons come out to eat.
• Rid your lawn of grubs. Fall is the ideal time to use products with the active ingredients of merit or diazinon to kill grubs, but they can also be treated in the spring. Ask at a garden center for details.
• Maintain bird feeders to keep bird seed off the ground. It attracts skunks, opossums, raccoons, squirrels and rats.
• Remove any decaying wood and raise wood piles at least 6 inches off the ground. Bugs in decaying wood are tasty treats for wildlife.
• Maintain your compost pile

ELIMINATE THE NESTING AREAS

• Seal decks, porches, sheds, slab additions, garages and air-conditioning compressor platforms. Attach welded-wire fencing to the bottom of the building or platform with construction staples or nails. Bring the fencing down to the ground, bend and bring it out across the ground at least 18 inches. To hide the fencing, allow grass to grow through or cover with mulch or landscaping. (During new construction, simply take the wire down into the ground.
• Again...maintain your compost pile
• Remove piles of brush
• Cap your chimneys.
• Seal all vents (including the dryer vent) with welded-wire fencing

If after doing all of the above, you are still experiencing problems please contact the Service Department for further assistance or possible trapping.

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Wildlife Control Tips

If you are experiencing a wildlife problem check your property for the following problem areas. These problem areas may be the cause or contributing factor to your wildlife problem.

• Improperly maintained bird feeders attract more than just birds. Skunks, opossums, raccoons, squirrels and possibly rats will also be attracted.
• Wood piles must be raised at least 6" off the ground to properly circulate air and prevent decaying. Discard any decaying wood, as bugs in the decaying wood are a tasty treat for wildlife.
• Use grub control on lawns to rid yard of grubs. Skunks and raccoons dine on these and will destroy lawns to get the.
• Unsealed decks, sheds, slab add-ons, garages, air conditioning platforms etc. are target areas for burrows and nesting, as they provide warm, cozy shelters throughout the year. Sealing these problem areas with welded-wire fencing will eliminate the potential for future problems. Attach fencing to the bottom of the building with construction staples or nails and bring fencing down to the ground, bend and bring out across ground at least 18". Grass will grow through, or cover the mulch, landscaping, etc..
• Compost piles not properly maintained and brush piles also draw wildlife providing them with food and shelter.
• Chimneys should be capped to prevent raccoons, squirrels, etc. from using them as "hollow trees" to call home. All vents should be sealed with welded wire fencing, and don't forget the dryer vent.