Sure, we love watching animals on nature documentaries and catching a glimpse of various majestic creatures in real life. Nowadays, up-close encounters with native creatures are becoming increasingly common, as animals have little choice other than to make their way onto our land in search of food and perhaps even shelter.
The problem is that with massive population growth, we are constantly encroaching on animals’ natural habitats and they are having to learn to live alongside human society. As we take away the natural food sources that they’d usually find in forests and fields, they become increasingly dependent on finding their nutrition in human waste that so often litters urban and residential landscapes.
However, while catching a glimpse of animals in our backyards may be a novelty at first, we generally come to realise that wildlife making its way onto your property can be problematic in a number of ways. They can cause all sorts of damage to our homes and land, leave faeces, and perhaps even pose a physical threat to us, our families, and our pets. So, how should we go about keeping animals at bay without inflicting cruelty or harm? Here are a few ideas to get you started!
Cut Off Food Supplies
If you purposefully leave food out, it’s important that you cease this behaviour at once. While you may initially lure in individual smaller creatures, others will catch the wind, and you can end up attracting creatures large and small from miles around. It’s impossible to be selective about what animals you will attract. Perhaps you start out feeding seemingly harmless creatures such as deer. The food left out will eventually also attract rats, racoons, and even large creatures such as bears.
So, it’s important to cut out any potential food supply for any animal. Be responsible for your waste disposal: ensure that you have disposal units that can deter even the largest and powerful of creatures, such as Bear Proof Trash Cans. Avoid storing any food outside in outdoor refrigerators or freezers and keep your pet’s food inside your home rather than outdoors.
Reconsider Ponds
Many of us consider ponds as a mere aesthetic addition to our garden. But a constant, relatively clean freshwater supply will attract animals of all sorts. Most obviously, animals will come to drink from the source. However, some smaller creatures such as frogs and toads will create a home here. Again, these act as a food source for medium-sized predators and these medium-sized predators can, in turn, serve as a potential food source for larger predators.
When it comes down to it, animals generally have one thing at the top of their mind: food. If you ensure that your property provides them with no sustenance, they will quickly clear off elsewhere. While it may be tempting to feed the animals, you will soon find that you cannot realistically manage the increasing demand. If you do want to help, you can always consider feeding them in larger spaces further out instead where they won’t cause a nuisance to people.
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